War dead: Mourners dig graves for children killed in a US-Israel strike on a primary school in Iran's Hormozgan province on March 3rd. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel, while Iranian drones have also hit countries across the Middle East. Hizbullah, an Iranian-backed militia, fired missiles into Israel in the early days of the war, and by Wednesday Israeli forces entered Lebanon. Irish Times contributor Mark Weiss in Jerusalem explains how the US and Israel are looking for different outcomes from this war. And Shashank Joshi, defence editor with The Economist, explores how the war might end – and when – and why the Kurds might be drawn in to war.

Source: The Irish Times March 05, 2026 02:00 UTC