A U.S. Air Force KC-135R “Stratotanker” Aerial-Refueling Tanker (61-0324) has been circling off the coast and over Israel now for nearly two hours burning fuel, after returning from a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury over Iraq. Multiple other Stratotankers have returned to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv in that time, suggesting a possible issue preventing landing with this particular KC-135.

According to Axios, citing three people with knowledge on the matter, tomorrow afternoon, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is set to brief a small group of bipartisan senators on the ongoing operations against Iran. The briefing, which was organized by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, is expected to update select legislative decision-makers on the ongoing war in Iran, more specifically, the status of purported lines of communication between the Trump administration and the Iranian regime. As of late Monday (today EST), senators are still being invited to the briefing.

Following the temporary closure of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) airspace as an “exceptional precautionary measure” due to Iranian drone and missile attacks, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has announced the reopening of their airspace.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates report they are responding to a fire at the Fujairah Oil Industrial Zone, following a drone attack tonight by Iran.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center has issued a warning to ships in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz following an attack on a vessel at anchor near the United Arab Emirates. This is the first reported attack in the region in more than 72 hours.

The Popular Mobilization Front (PMF), an Iranian-backed group, who has acted as one of the principal executors of Iran’s strategic outlook in Iraq, released footage showing what appears to be an unarmed FPV drone flying unencumbered through the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq near the U.S. Embassy.

Sailors observe and support flight operations by F/A-18E Super Hornets from Primary Flight Control “Pri-Fly” onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in the Northern Red Sea, in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 15, 2026.

According to an article from the Financial Times, two of three Gulf-based littoral warships of the U.S. Navy have been sent to Malaysia for a “logistical stop” amid the conflict with Iran. The two vessels in question, Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, which are outfitted with minesweeping capabilities made the move amidst fears that Iran has/will continue to mine the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Maritime risk intelligence firm Ambrey has said that an explosion occurred near a vessel anchored northwest of the United Arab Emirates’ Port of Sharjah.

Overnight, Israel announced that they eliminated two principal Iranian decision-makers, Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Larjani, who was Secretary to Iran’s Supreme Security Council, and Gholamreza, who presided over the recent deadly crackdowns on Iranian protesters, played key roles in the current Iranian Government.

The British Government has drafted a plan for a coalition to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and shared it with the United States and several other countries, two sources tell Axios’ Barak Ravid.

According to the UAE Ministry of Defense, so far today air defenses have engaged 10 ballistic missiles and 45 one-way attack drones launched by Iran, in one of the largest daily attacks since the first week of the Iran War.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces the elimination of Ali Larijani, who served as the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, the Commander of Iran’s Basij Forces, in a overnight targeted strike on Tehran:

“This morning we eliminated Ali Larijani. Ali Larijani is the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, which is the gang of gangsters that actually runs Iran. Alongside him, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij - these are the gangsters' assistants, who spread terror in the streets of Tehran and other cities in Iran against the population. We're operating there too; operating from the air with Air Force planes, with drones.”

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is expected to return to Souda Naval Base in Crete next week from the it current position in the Northern Red Sea, following a recent fire which cause serious damage to some areas of the ship and left over 600 sailors and crewmembers without proper beds. The Ford will return to Crete for refueling, but also for an investigation into the large fire that broke out aboard the vessel on March 12, with investigators probing the possibility that the fire was deliberately caused by crewmembers to terminate their extended mission, according to a source who spoke to the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has published footage of strikes on Iranian command-and-control nodes, air defense systems, and other military assets in Southern Iran.

The Israel Defense Force announces that it has detected expanded preparations by Hezbollah to launch rocket barrages towards Israel in the coming hours, with air defense systems and other aerial assets in Northern Israel being placed on heightened alert, while the Israeli Air Force attempts to thwart the attack by Hezbollah.

Israel’s Ministry of Transportation is currently conducting a situation assessment regarding the airspace over Israel - whether to close it or change operations for several hours due to the possibility of large-scale rocket fire by Hezbollah against Northern and Central Israel, according to N12.

U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, the direct reporting program manager for the Office of Golden Dome for America, has announced that Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, are the three primes working on command-and-control capabilities for the Golden Dome, with a total of nine companies assisting with development of C2 for President Trump’s Golden Dome.

According to a source who spoke to CNN, Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council who was reportedly killed earlier today in a strike by Israel, was seen by both Israel and the United States as the most favored transitional candidate as of September 2025, but became a target in early February 2026.

The source said Larijani became a target when he:
- Pushed for the brutal crackdown on protesters in January.
- Took front seat in lashing out at Israel and the United States.
-⁠ Assumed key role in strategizing the IRGC kinetic actions, in particular against the Gulf Nations.