World Report - March 6: Friday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: March 6, 2026

Israeli airstrikes hammer southern Beirut as Hezbollah warns Israeli border towns to evacuate.The U.S. and Israel vow to "surge" attacks as the war in Iran enters a second week with no clear endgame.Canada’s top general says the military may help defend Gulf allies as PM Carney refuses to rule out future involvement in the Iran war.Prime Minister Mark Carney signs a major security and trade pact in Tokyo that opens the door for Japanese military training in the Canadian Arctic.Toronto doctor faces dozens of sex crime charges, including voyeurism, sexual assault, and child pornography.The Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics officially open in Verona as Team Canada prepares for its first day of competition.

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This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. Beirut is under a massive aerial assault this morning. Israel's military says it has already conducted 26 waves of strikes on the capital's southern suburbs following a night of heavy bombardment. While the IDF claims it is hitting Hezbollah weapons sites, the UN is warning of a humanitarian crisis.

Human rights chief Volker Turk says the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians could constitute a breach of international law. Israel and the United States continue to launch wave after wave of aerial attacks on Iran. Not even a week has passed, but both countries have already hit sites across the country, and both are warning the worst is yet to come. In Washington, President Trump appears to have ruled out any further negotiations with Tehran calling for an unconditional surrender. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has more on the escalating conflict and the growing human toll.

With the conflict nearing the start of its second week, both Israel and the United States say their attacks against Iran are about to escalate. The U.S. Defense Secretary saying American firepower will surge dramatically and the Israeli military promising surprises ahead for the Iranian regime. This was Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danone, yesterday. The volume of missiles they are firing is already falling, and we are only six days in. Six days in which an estimated 1,200 Iranian civilians have been killed, according to a U.S.-based human rights group. Iran continues to launch retaliatory strikes against Israel and to attack regional neighbors hosting U.S. troops.

Speaking in India, Iran's deputy foreign minister, Saeed Hatib Zadeh, defended the attacks on those neighbors. We have no option just to put an end to the presence of the United States in the surrounding area of Iran. We told Americans and we told our neighbors. Regional analysts say there is great concern over Washington's apparent lack of a post-conflict plan. Oribe Al-Rontawi says, while Iran's clerical regime is deeply

unpopular. It also has its supporters and a military structure that has yet to crack. This is Iran with more than 90 million people and 1 million.6 square kilometers. It's a continent. Come on for God's sake. U.S. President Donald Trump has encouraged Iran's security forces to lay down their weapons in exchange for their lives and says he should have a say in choosing Iran's next leader. Marker Devons, CBC News, Amman. Meanwhile, there is growing concern and confusion over Canada's position on the war in Iran. While Prime Minister Mark Carney has suggested the current military action appears to be, quote, inconsistent with international law,

he's not categorically ruled out future participation by Canadian forces. Now Canada's military officials are weighing in on what involvement might actually look like. Joining us with the latest, Janice McGregor in our Parliamentary Bureau. what are those authorities saying about Canada's potential role? John, Canada is not part of the offense against Iran. It wasn't consulted. It wasn't part of the planning. That much is clear. But the chair of Canada's Joint Operations Command told reporters at a defense conference in Ottawa yesterday that at the time these attacks kicked off, Canada had about 200 soldiers in the region on some six different missions.

Some of them now on the move, pulled back, reassigned. When a reporter pushed Mark Carney with a hypothetical question earlier this week, the Prime Minister did not categorically rule out Canadian military involvement, if necessary to protect allies. Yesterday, Chief of the Defense staff, Jenny Carignan, was more precise about the circumstances that would trigger that. This is not a mission that we are considering. However, our golf partners may require defense and support.

So within that context, these would be the type of military options that we could consider. This conflict is unpredictable. Much broader, it turns out, than just taking out Iran's leader or crippling its nuclear activities. That leads to more hypothetical questions about what happens if Canadian forces end up in the middle of something. A missile's been fired in the direction of Turkey and ally. Bases of NATO allies are involved. Navy ships of European partners are heading for waters off Cyprus. politicians and military planners can't roll out that Canada's obligations to its military alliance couldn't come into play.

So, Janice, Parliament on a break this week, MPs back in their writings, probably hearing from constituents about all of this. Yeah, and the Prime Minister and all the senior staff on the other side of the Pacific. It's been hard for liberals to get on the same page. And some MPs do have serious concerns about how all of this is unfolding so quickly. A briefing's now planned for these parliamentarians with, Foreign Minister Anita Anand. That would be ahead of the House returning next week, where it could have some vigorous debates. Janice McGregor in Ottawa. Thanks, Janice. You're welcome. Next to Japan. An official welcome for Mark Carney in Tokyo. The Prime Minister is there for the final stop of a 10-day

tour that has also included stops in India and Australia. He's the first G7 leader to visit with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister since her landslide victory last month. The CBCC's J. P. Tasker has more on what the Prime Minister is hoping to achieve. Today, Takaichi, I'm not finished yet. Speaking in the local language, he learned while living in Tokyo as a banker, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a new strategic partnership with his Japanese counterpart, Takaiichi Sanai. Carney says Canada is drawing closer to Japan in an era of global uncertainty,

pledging to co-develop natural resources like liquefied natural gas in BC and cooperate more on defense matters, Japan agreeing to join Canada's annual naval exercise in the Arctic. I hope to work hand in hand with Mark, Takaichi said, at an elaborate welcoming ceremony at her sprawling modern residence in Tokyo's city center. She also promised to deploy a trade mission to Canada to explore new business opportunities.

We do much, but we're ready to do much more. Carney has meetings scheduled with Japanese corporate giants, including some automakers. The federal government wants these firms to invest more in their Canadian operations as U.S. car companies retreat. All part of Carney's plan to cut new deals with old partners. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Tokyo. A doctor who had a very public profile during the COVID pandemic has been charged with more than 40 sex crimes. The counts include voyeurism and sexual assault on women and also charges related to child pornography. The CBC's Zach Dabinsky reveals how a big tech company allegedly alerted authorities to the case and what police say they found.

Hello, my name is Dr. David Edward Uli Poon. David Poon was often on TV during the COVID pandemic. Now he is again in the public light for different reasons. Late last fall, Poon was charged with 43 sex crimes spanning the last 12. years. In a court document obtained by CBC News containing unproven allegations, Toronto police say their investigation began with the tip last summer from Google, flagging that someone had uploaded suspected child sexual abuse material to a Google Drive account in the name of a David Poon. Police then got a search warrant for Poon's home

and electronics and seized 23 devices. They alleged they found photos showing women who had been sexually assaulted and voyeuristic images of an underage girl. Monique Saint-Germain, a lawyer with the Canadian Center for Child Protection, says tech companies flagged tens of millions of images and videos on the internet, overwhelming law enforcement. We have heard from various police forces in Canada that they are maybe able to get to, at best, 20% of the reports that are coming into them, and that is a very generous estimate. Investigators have yet to identify most of the alleged victims in Poon's case,

former cybercrime detective, Sean Sparling. They'll be working very diligently with their victim identification units and partners around the world to identify these victims. Poon is currently in jail awaiting trial. His lawyers told the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario he intends to vigorously oppose the charges. They have not responded to our request for comment. Zach Dubinsky, CBC News, Toronto.

And finally, in Italy, the Paralympic Flame has reached its final destination. After a 10-day journey across Italy, the torch arrived in Verona today for the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Games. More than 600 athletes from nearly 50 countries are gathered to mark the start of the competition. And that is the latest national and international news

from World Report 4 News anytime. Remember, go to our website, cbcnews.c.c.c. I'm John Northcott. is CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca.com.