International from Wednesday, March 18th, 2026

Israel has killed nearly a dozen Gaza police officers this week as it steps up attacks on a Hamas-run force that the fighters have used to re-establish governance in areas under their control, Gaza authorities say.

Britain will roll out meningitis vaccines to students at a university in southeast England after an "unprecedented" outbreak of the disease killed two people while the number of new cases jumped to 20.

Sri Lanka will introduce additional fuel‑rationing measures to shorten queues and secure extra oil supplies, a senior official said on Wednesday, as the island continues to manage shortages linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Israel's military on Wednesday acknowledged that its tank fire hit a U.N. position in southern Lebanon on March 6, wounding Ghanaian peacekeepers, an incident that underscores the growing risks as Israeli operations expand.

China offered on Wednesday what it said would be energy stability to Taiwan if it agreed to Beijing's rule, part of a campaign by China to convince the island of the benefits of "reunification", which it has long rejected.

 Israeli airstrikes in Beirut killed at least 10 people on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said, shaking the heart of the Lebanese capital as Israel intensified its offensive against Hezbollah.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced late on Tuesday that its forces are carrying out strikes at fortified missile sites on the Iranian coast near the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country's military operation in Iran, a move he described as a "very foolish mistake".