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Written by Hanna Lee Copy Editor, Digital News
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Good morning. U.S. President Donald Trump will have to sell the concept of war in Iran to his voters, particularly given he came to power as a leader who wouldn't start any new wars. We'll get into that below, as well as the latest in the conflict. We'll also catch up with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is in Australia after wrapping up his India trip, and look into a government report about active clubs.
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(Vahid Salemi/The Associated Press)
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Israel launches fresh wave of attacks on Iran and Lebanon
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Israel on Tuesday continued its assault on Iran and took new positions inside Lebanon in the third day of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
The Israeli military said it has targeted the complex of Iran's state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran, following an evacuation warning in the area.
In Kernan, 800 kilometres southeast of Tehran, the Tasnim news agency reported that 13 Iranian troops had been killed in airstrikes.
As well, International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday that Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment site sustained "some recent damage" during an airstrike, focused on "entrance buildings" to the underground portion of the atomic site. Natanz earlier came under attack by the U.S. in the 12-day war in June.
Since the outbreak of war early Saturday, the U.S. military said it had struck more than 1,250 targets in Iran so far and destroyed 11 Iranian ships.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he has authorized the Israeli military to take additional positions in Lebanon after rockets were fired into Israel Sunday by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group. Israel had occupied five positions in southern Lebanon when it invaded in November 2024, an outgrowth of the war that began a year earlier with Palestinian militants Hamas.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army was evacuating some of its positions along the border. Meanwhile, explosions could be heard and smoke seen in a suburb of the capital Beirut.
With files from Chris Iorfida |
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FEATURED STORIES
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(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
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Why Trump still needs to sell war in Iran to U.S. voters
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U.S. President Donald Trump is giving Americans mixed messages when it comes to his objectives in attacking Iran.
What's happening: The U.S. will easily prevail, he's said, only to suggest just moments later that he's prepared to keep American troops fighting if it doesn't end quickly. A minority of Americans approve of strikes in Iran, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll, while the president's overall approval rating has been slumping as the crucial November midterms approach. And while wars have boosted the political fortunes of past presidents, it's unclear whether this one will do the same for Trump, particularly as he ran on a pledge not to start any new wars.
Some flee to Turkey: Hundreds of people are crossing the Iran-Turkey border each day. My colleague Briar Stewart spoke to some Iranians at the Kapikoy border in eastern Turkey. Though Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed, fear and uncertainty remain, as some people look to flee the country.
How flights are faring: Air travel in the Middle East is starting to resume very slowly. It had largely been suspended since Saturday, as Iran targeted airports in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. For its part, Air Canada says it isn't resuming direct flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv until March 23. Though it's offered to change flights to those destinations free of charge, it said it will directly contact customers for trips that have already been cancelled.
The Canadian angle: Prime Minister Mark Carney's statement this time around was different in that he expressed outright support of the U.S. action in Iran. That's received criticism from some Liberal corners, though some experts say this may be Carney putting realpolitik into action. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said he's getting calls from countries about how Canadian energy producers can fill in the gap, as the conflict in Iran drives up oil and gas prices. |
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Carney lands in Australia looking to draw closer to a Commonwealth cousin
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Prime Minister Mark Carney has landed in Australia as he looks to bolster ties with a Commonwealth cousin that is increasingly viewed in Ottawa as a key ally on global challenges — a country that has some newfound importance for Canada amid a lot of uncertainty elsewhere.
Although Canada and Australia have always been close due to shared history, similar political institutions and the Five Eyes intelligence partnership, the bilateral relationship has not been a top priority for successive governments in both countries.
Carney is visiting Australia in his first year as prime minister while his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, never went. In fact, there hasn’t been a Canadian prime ministerial visit in nearly 12 years and the last one coincided with a G20 summit. “We haven’t been as engaged the past few years,” a senior government official, speaking on background, told CBC News.
When Carney spoke in Davos about working closely with other middle powers to check the dominance of “hegemons” like the U.S. and China, Australia was one of the countries he had in mind, officials said. As other relationships fracture, Canada is embracing allies it feels it can truly trust and rely on.
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