Morning Briefing: March 16, 2025

ANKARA

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including the gathering of European military chefs in the British capital; the death toll from an Israeli airstrike targeting a relief team in northern Gaza and the number of casualties in an explosion in Syria's Latakia.

TOP STORIES

• European military chiefs to meet on peacekeeping force in Ukraine: British premier

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said military chiefs from Europe will meet Thursday in London to discuss peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.

The military chiefs will meet to put "strong and robust plans in place to swing behind a peace deal," Starmer told reporters in a news conference after a virtual summit with around 25 other leaders, the so-called "coalition of the willing." He hopes the group would come up with commitments of help for Ukraine ahead of any peace agreement with Russia.

He opened the summit by saying Russian President Vladimir Putin "sooner or later" has to "come to the table” for talks.

• Journalists among 9 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike targeting relief team in northern Gaza

At least nine Palestinians, including journalists, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a relief team in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said.

"Nine people were martyred and several injured, including critical cases, were brought to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza following the ongoing Israeli aggression on the strip," it said in a statement.

Sources said the drone struck a relief team distributing temporary tents to residents whose homes had been destroyed by Israel.

• At least 3 dead, 12 injured in explosion in Syria's Latakia

At least three people were killed and 12 injured following an explosion in a four-story building in the Al-Raml Al-Janoubi neighborhood of Latakia in northwestern Syria, state media said.

The SANA news agency attributed the casualty figures to Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman.

Many civilians were also said to be trapped under the rubble. Search, rescue and emergency teams from the civil defense continued operations at the explosion site.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The Palestinian Scholars Association condemned escalating Israeli violations against Palestinian worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem during the Muslim month of Ramadan.
• China's first large unmanned drone, capable of carrying a one-ton load, completed its maiden flight in East China, according to media reports.
• A fighter jet crashed in an unpopulated area in southern China.
• Marking the sixth anniversary of a terror attack that targeted two mosques in New Zealand’s Christchurch, Türkiye expressed its commitment to combat Islamophobia.
• The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said it opened 130 temporary educational centers across Gaza, enabling in-person learning for 47,000 children.
• Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev approved the country’s membership in the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, formalizing its entry into the bloc.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain jointly launched two satellites aimed at Earth monitoring and climate change tracking, marking a significant step in their space exploration efforts.
• US President Donald Trump said his remarks about ending the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours were “a little bit sarcastic.”
• The US Department of Energy has classified South Korea a "sensitive" country over concerns that Seoul may pursue a nuclear weapons program, South Korean media reported.
• Egypt considers the division of Sudan a “red line,” the Egyptian foreign minister said, emphasizing the country’s firm stance on the North African country's unity, stability and territorial integrity.
• Anadolu’s cameraman Vural Elibol won two prestigious awards in the Digital Content Competition for the Empire State Building, one of New York’s most iconic landmarks, with his drone footage titled, “Empire State in the Mist.”
• SpaceX successfully launched its Crew-10 mission, sending four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and paving the way for the return of two NASA astronauts stranded for months due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
• The US is considering new travel bans targeting citizens of over 40 countries, according to a New York Times report.
• Italy will work to define effective security guarantees for Ukraine, but its participation in a possible military force deployed in the country is not planned, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said in a statement.
• More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since a ceasefire agreement took effect Jan. 19, including 40 in the past two weeks, the Gaza Media Office announced.
• Powerful storms, including tornadoes, hail and destructive winds, have killed at least 17 people across the central and southeastern US, prompting multiple states to declare emergencies.