Pakistan says further provocations by the Taliban will be met with ‘decisive response’
Loaded cargo containers at the Torkham Border Terminal, along with vehicles carrying migrants bound for Afghanistan, are forced to turn back toward the Pak-Afghan Highway on the second day of clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Torkham crossing in Pakistan on February 27, 2026. (Hijrat Ali/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Tensions remain high as Pakistan and Afghanistan exchange airstrikes over the last 24 hours with Pakistan’s defense minister calling it “open war.”
“Any further provocations by the Taliban regime, or attempts by any terrorist group to undermine the security and welfare of the people of Pakistan, will be met with a measured, decisive and befitting response,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday.
Casualties have been reported on both sides, with each side claiming larger enemy losses.
Pakistan claims the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan is providing support for terror groups that have carried out attacks inside Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s actions were undertaken in exercise of its right to self-defense and to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, as well as that of the wider region and beyond,” the statement said.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against any country and highlighted its fight against ISIS as evidence of its commitment to regional security.
Mujahid described Pakistan’s conflict with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as an internal issue that predates the current Afghan government, arguing it is unreasonable to blame Afghanistan for a long-running domestic conflict.
Despite the tensions, Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate prefers resolving disputes through dialogue and understanding, emphasizing that its actions have been in self-defense and that it remains open to peaceful negotiations.
ABC News’ Habibullah Khan and Aleen Agha contributed to this report.
thousands of people gather in Enghelab Square for a pro-government demonstration after Iranian state media confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 1, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
(LONGDON) — The interim leadership council of Iran has been formed following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, Iranian state TV reported Sunday.
The interim leadership council will include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, who was selected as the representative of the Guardian Council.
According to the Islamic Republic constitution, the Guardian Council consists of 12 members: six “faghihs,” or Islamic jurists, and six Muslim “experts” in various areas of law.
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Pezeshkian — who sources told ABC News was targeted in Saturday’s joint U.S.-Israel attack — resurfaced on Sunday on Iranian state TV. He said that the interim leadership council has started its work following the death of Khamenei.
In a taped video message broadcast on the Iranian state TV, Pezeshkian said that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic are “powerfully crushing the enemy’s bases.”
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Ali Larijani, appeared in a television interview in Iran on Sunday and commented on the death of Khamenei, saying, “The passing of a great personality has wounded the hearts of all of us.”
“Americans should know that by stabbing the hearts of the Iranian nation, their hearts will be stabbed,” Larijani said. “What they did in a cruel way towards the Iranian leadership has angered the people so much that they will never achieve their goals.”
He also said a temporary leadership council would be formed of the president, the head of the judiciary, and one of the jurists of the Guardian Council.
A spokesperson for the Guardian Council said, “The country’s constitution provides for the current situation and the leadership council will be in charge until the leadership is determined.”
According to the law, the leadership must be determined as soon as possible, given the war conditions. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 40 Iranian commanders were also killed in Saturday’s attack that President Donald Trump described as a “massive and ongoing operation” against Iran and its Middle East proxies.
The IDF said the Israeli Air Force struck and eliminated seven members of the top Iranian security leadership who had gathered at several locations in Tehran.
Among those eliminated in the strikes was Abdolrahim Mousavi, who served as chief of staff of the armed forces, according to the IDF.
Mousavi served as one of the highest senior military ranking officials and was the successor of Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, who was killed in the opening strike of “Operation Rising Lion” in June 2025.
The majority of the highest-ranking senior military officials of the Iranian security leadership were also killed, the IDF said.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attends a press conference during a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors on March 02, 2026, in Vienna, Austria. The Board is meeting at the request of Russia and in response to the ongoing U.S. and Israeli air strikes against Iran. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
(VIENNA, Austria) — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Monday that the possibility of radiological release due to U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran can’t be ruled out.
Speaking before the Board of Governors at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said there were no signs of strikes to Iran’s nuclear facilities or elevated radiation levels above the usual background levels detected in countries bordering Iran.
Rossi said that, currently, it doesn’t appear the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit.
“The IAEA has extensive knowledge of the nature and location of nuclear and radiological material in the region, and we have clear guidance for actions necessary in case an attack or an accident causes a radiological release, as well as the ability for hands-on help if it is required,” Rossi said.
“Let me underline that the situation today is very concerning,” he continued. “We cannot rule out a possible radiological release with serious consequences, including the necessity to evacuate areas as large or larger than major cities.”
Rossi said the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) has a team in place collecting information and assessing the situation, but the conflict has made communication difficult.
The IEC said it is continuing to try and connect with Iranian nuclear regulatory authorities, but with no response so far.
“Let me again recall past General Conference resolutions that state that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked,” Rossi said.
He urged all parties to return to diplomacy and regulation to achieve the long-term assurance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons.
President Donald Trump said over the weekend that a preemptive attack on Iran was justified by “imminent threats” from the Iranian guard, though he provided no evidence, and to topple the Iranian regime.
U.S. intelligence seemed to counter the president’s claims. According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, Iran is working on developing a missile capable of reaching the U.S. by 2035.
Last year, the U.S. bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites. Experts have said there are recent signs of Iran trying to rebuild its program and begin again enriching uranium, but that there was no evidence they were close to building a bomb.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Steve Witkoff, US special envoy, arrives for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. US negotiators will join European leaders in Paris on Tuesday in the latest effort to hash out post-war security guarantees for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Photographer: Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration said Wednesday the Gaza peace plan is moving into the next phase, which it said “begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza.”
“Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in a statement on X.
The announcement comes as officials and observers question the stability of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, which has largely held despite isolated violations.
According to Witkoff, phase two “establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel.”
Witkoff said the U.S. expects Hamas to “comply fully,” including by immediately returning the final deceased hostage, identified by Israeli officials as Ran Gvili.
“Failure to do so will bring serious consequences,” Witkoff said.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said Wednesday that the return of Gvili “is a top priority.”
“Hamas is required to meet the terms of the agreement to exert 100% effort for the return of the fallen hostages, down to the very last one, Ran Gvili, a hero of Israel,” the office said in a statement on X.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the announcement on the second phase an “important positive development” and said they are “fully prepared to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip” to the NCAG.
Qassem said they demand that the U.S. “compel” Israel to “fulfill the requirements of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and move towards the second phase.”
The NCAG is a body of an expected 15 Palestinian leaders tasked with the monumental challenge of governing Gaza. The committee would be responsible for Gaza’s day-to-day management, including sanitation, infrastructure and education.
The NCAG will ultimately be run by a “Board of Peace,” which is expected to be made up of 12 as-yet-unannounced leaders. Trump and other European leaders are expected to lead the Board of Peace and oversee this newly formed committee. The announcement is expected in the coming days.
Speaking aboard Air Force One Sunday, Trump said the Board of Peace council would be made up of “the most important leaders of the most important countries,” though he did not name them.
U.S. officials confirmed Nickolay Mladenov, the former United Nations special coordinator for Middle East peace and a former Bulgarian foreign minister, will be appointed as the new senior representative for the Board of Peace and will oversee implementation of the plan. Mladenov is expected to serve as a liaison between the NCAG and the peace council.
American officials have said they hope that establishing the committee will help loosen Hamas’ grip on Gaza.
Witkoff on Wednesday thanked Egypt, Turkey and Qatar “for their indispensable mediation efforts that made all progress to date possible.”
In a joint statement, the three Middle Eastern countries said they “welcome the formation” of the NCAG, saying it is an “important development that will contribute to strengthening efforts aimed at consolidating stability and improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”
The initial phase of the peace plan, which launched in October 2025, saw the release of the remaining living hostages and the return of the remains of 27 deceased hostages in Gaza, as well as the release of more than 1,900 Palestinian prisoners that had been held by Israel. The first phase also entailed that the Israel Defense Forces pull back to the so-called “yellow line” in Gaza, intended as the first of three demarcation lines, and saw restrictions on humanitarian aid going into Gaza lifted.
