The briefing for Friday, March 6.

The US military struck an Iranian drone carrier early Friday, setting the vessel ablaze as American and Israeli forces continued their sixth consecutive day of strikes against Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the campaign is 'about to surge dramatically,' with plans to deploy additional fighter squadrons and bomber capabilities. Israel launched intense airstrikes on Tehran Friday morning, with witnesses describing explosions that shook homes across the capital. The Israeli military says it has already destroyed most of Iran's air defenses and missile launchers.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks into Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain—all countries hosting US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties from those strikes. The drone carrier struck by US forces, the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, is a converted container ship roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command. Earlier in the week, an American submarine sank an Iranian frigate off Sri Lanka, killing at least 87 sailors.

The expanding conflict has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 120 in Lebanon, around a dozen in Israel, and six US troops, according to officials in those countries. B-2 stealth bombers dropped dozens of 2,000-pound 'penetrator' bombs on deeply buried ballistic missile launchers inside Iran under cover of darkness Friday. Cooper said US forces also struck Iran's equivalent of Space Command, degrading their ability to threaten Americans. The war has disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel across the region.

The Israeli military ordered hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate Beirut's southern suburbs Thursday, signaling plans for intense bombardment against Hezbollah strongholds. 'Save your lives, evacuate your homes immediately,' the military's Arabic spokesperson wrote on X, issuing an unprecedented blanket order covering areas including Chiyah, Burj al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik, and Hadath. Huge traffic jams formed as panicked residents complied with the order, with many unsure where to go. Food kitchens and shelters in the capital warned they cannot support the number of people being displaced.

Lebanese authorities say at least 102 people have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past four days as Israel expanded its offensive against Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militia launched rockets and drones over the border Monday in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israeli strikes overnight caused heavy damage to buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, with the Lebanese health ministry reporting at least three people killed in strikes on vehicles near the airport. The conflict has pulled Lebanon back into war just 15 months after a ceasefire deal ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed Wednesday the group would confront Israel 'to the point of the utmost sacrifice, to the furthest limits,' adding 'we will not surrender.' Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir responded that Israel is 'determined to eliminate the threat Hezbollah poses and will not stop until the terror organization is disarmed.' The Israeli military said it carried out strikes on several Hezbollah command centers in Beirut that were allegedly intended to be used to plan attacks on Israeli troops and civilians.

The United States and Venezuela agreed Thursday to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations, marking a hugely symbolic step following the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The two countries said they would make joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation. The US embassy in Caracas, which closed in 2019, has already reopened, and Washington has appointed a new diplomat in Venezuela. President Trump ordered troops to seize Maduro and his wife in a surprise raid in January, bringing them to Manhattan to face weapon and drug offenses, which they deny.

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez said the country is willing to advance a 'new stage of constructive dialogue, based on mutual respect' that results in the 'social and economic happiness of the Venezuelan people.' However, the statement from Caracas made no reference to a transition or future elections, unlike the US State Department's announcement. The US said its engagement focuses on helping Venezuelan people move forward through a 'phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.'

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who visited Venezuela this week, called the intervention a 'brilliant strategic move' to intervene in Venezuela before Iran, noting it would help ensure 'oil will flow to America.' Since Maduro's capture, the US has struck new oil deals with Venezuela, allowing the country to sell sanctioned oil with US oversight. Venezuela has also changed its law to allow more foreign investment in the oil sector. On Wednesday, Rodríguez and Burgum said the two countries would work together to develop mining in Venezuela, which has vast reserves of gold, diamonds, critical minerals, and rare earth minerals.

The Pentagon officially designated artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a supply chain risk Thursday, marking the first time such action has been taken against an American company. The decision came nearly a week after President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened punishments after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to give defense agencies unfettered access to the company's AI tools over concerns about mass surveillance of Americans and autonomous weapons. The Pentagon said the designation is 'effective immediately' and could force government contractors to stop using Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude.

Anthropic vowed to sue over the designation, with Amodei writing Thursday evening that 'we do not believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court.' The San Francisco-based company noted the designation 'has a narrow scope' and argued that even for Department of Defense contractors, it doesn't limit uses of Claude unrelated to specific Pentagon contracts. Some military contractors were already cutting ties with Anthropic. Lockheed Martin said it will 'follow the President's and the Department of War's direction' and look to other AI providers, adding it expects 'minimal impacts' as it is not dependent on any single vendor.

The Pentagon's decision to apply a rule designed to address foreign supply chain threats has drawn criticism from both opponents and some supporters of the Trump administration. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called it 'a dangerous misuse of a tool meant to address adversary-controlled technology,' while Neil Chilson, a former Republican FTC chief technologist, described it as 'massive overreach.' A group of former defense and national security officials, including former CIA director Michael Hayden, sent a letter to lawmakers Thursday expressing 'serious concern' that the designation sets 'a dangerous precedent' by targeting a domestic company rather than foreign adversaries.

President Trump announced Thursday he is removing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from her position, replacing her with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin pending Senate confirmation. Noem will move to a new role as special envoy for a US security initiative in the Western hemisphere called the Shield of the Americas. The shake-up ends Noem's controversial tenure as the face of the administration's immigration crackdown, during which she courted repeated controversies and appeared to clash with the president over her high-profile approach.

Noem gained attention for joining immigration raids and appearing in a bulletproof vest alongside field agents—an unconventional approach for Homeland Security secretaries. She sparked backlash by wearing a $50,000 Rolex during a visit to a notorious El Salvador prison and appearing on horseback in DHS advertising campaigns. Democrats criticized her for spending $220 million in federal funding on advertising starring herself and nearly $200 million on luxury jets. Trump told Reuters Thursday he was 'not aware' of the expensive campaign, saying 'I never knew anything about it.'

Trump's frustration with Noem had been apparent for months. After federal agents shot dead two US citizens during an immigration operation in Minneapolis in January, Trump sent White House border czar Tom Homan to lead the response rather than Noem—a move widely viewed as a rebuke. Trump reportedly called Republicans in Congress this week asking if he should fire Noem, with some immediately backing the decision. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said 'it was time for a change,' while Washington congressman Dan Newhouse called the leadership change 'long overdue.'

Iranian drones struck Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave Thursday, hitting an airport terminal and exploding near a school, as the war in the Middle East spilled across Iran's northern border. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev condemned the strikes as an 'act of terror,' demanded an explanation and apology from Tehran, and placed Baku's armed forces on high alert. Iran denies any role and has suggested the attack may have been an Israeli false-flag operation. Nakhchivan is an isolated Azerbaijani territory bordering Iran, Turkey, and Armenia, making it particularly exposed during the conflict.

The drone strikes triggered Aliyev's strongest public attack on Tehran since taking office. Beyond condemning Iranian forces as 'ugly, cowardly and disgusting,' Aliyev said 'independent Azerbaijan is a place of hope for Azerbaijanis living in Iran'—a statement touching on one of Tehran's most sensitive subjects. Iran is home to an estimated 20-25 million ethnic Azeris, its largest minority group, concentrated in the northwest along the Azerbaijan border. Baku has long avoided this line of rhetoric because Tehran views any notion of Azerbaijani identity extending beyond its borders as a potential challenge to internal unity.

Iranian Azerbaijanis have long complained about denial of basic cultural rights, including education in their own language. Several Azerbaijani activists, journalists, and language campaigners are currently imprisoned in Iran on charges ranging from 'propaganda against the regime' to 'conspiracy against national security.' Despite their shared Shia identity, Iran and Azerbaijan have grown apart politically, with tensions worsening after Azerbaijan's military victories in the 2020 and 2023 Karabakh wars. Iran views Baku's close defense partnership with Israel as a serious threat, particularly given the current conflict.