World Report - March 8: Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: March 8, 2026

Explosions ring out today at an oil depot in southern Tehran as Israel says it is targeting Iran's energy resources.Israel is issuing an evacuation alert this morning for residents of southern Lebanon.China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the war in the Middle East never should have happened.Canadians continue to leave the mid-east, many through Dubai despite sporadic closures due to the war.Canadian women participating in the UN's Commission on the Status of Women warn about backsliding on women's progress.The prime minister announces byelections for three ridings on April 13 - two in the Toronto area, and one in Montreal.Canada wins its first gold medal of the Paralympic Games, bringing the total to 6.

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This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. Blast or heard in the skies over Tel Aviv. Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire as Israel's military announces its first fatality since the war began. Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon. Israel actively fighting on two fronts.

One in Iran, along with the United States. The other in Lebanon against the Iran. Act Group Hezbollah. Explosions ringing out today at an oil depot in southern Tehran as a series of blasts rock Iran's capital. Israel says it's targeting Iran's energy resources. This, as the war continues to broaden throughout the Middle East, spilling over to countries like Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, all reporting fresh attacks from Iran today. Meanwhile, a new supreme leader is said to have been chosen, but not yet named. The CBC's Crystal Gammonic,

Hansing joins us from Jerusalem. Crystal, what's the latest on the ground? Well, at least five Iranian oil storage sites were hit overnight. Large fireballs and plumes of black smoke are being reported, and people are being told to stay indoors, if possible, to avoid toxic pollutants. Israeli officials say they also hit F-14 fighter jets at Ishfahan Airport and targeted surveillance and air defense systems. I can share some numbers to put all of this intensity into a bit of context when it comes to the attacks. Israel says in the past 24 hours, more than 400 sites were hit in Western and Central Iran. In total, Israel's defense forces spokesperson, Burgator General Ephre DeFrin, said Israel has conducted 3,400 strikes, dropping 7,500

munitions. Now, if we zoom out a little bit and look at the strikes by Iran on Persian Gulf neighbors that have American military bases. Two officials in Kuwait have been killed. Specifics have not been shared by Kuwait's interior minister who made the announcement, saying only that they were performing their duties. The UAE's defense ministry says four people there have been killed. Attempted strikes have been ongoing, and UAE's defense ministry says it has been shooting down drones, ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles. Meanwhile, Crystal, what are we hearing in terms of Iran's leadership?

Yeah, so Iran's assembly of experts, that's the group responsible for naming the next Supreme Leader, has reportedly reached a consensus on a new leader. However, it is not entirely clear right now who has been selected. Since the killing of Ayatollah Ali-Hamane last week, a few names have surfaced as being the new leader, including the son of the late supreme leader. Israel has already vowed to kill the new leader, whomever it is. Meanwhile, we are also hearing from Iran's Revolutionary Guard spokesperson,

saying the country's forces can fight an intense war for six months, saying more advanced missiles those built in the past 10 years have yet to be used. The CBC's Crystal Comancing in Jerusalem. Thanks so much for this, Crystal. Thank you. Israel is issuing an evacuation alert this morning for residents of southern Lebanon, signaling that another wave of attacks is imminent. Officials say more than 400,000 people have already been displaced

since Israel began bombing there last week. The CBC's Julia Chapman has more on how the war is quickly spreading through the country. Lebanon is recovering from its last war with Israel. Now, the UN coordinator in the country says it's being dragged back into turrets. turmoil and violence. Israeli strikes on Beirut, the Bekha Valley and southern Lebanon are targeting Hezbollah fighters. Evacuation warnings have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing. Michael Petro runs a shelter in a church in Beirut. There are many, many more people coming than there were in 2024, and we have fewer and fewer

places to put them. Lebanon hosts more than a million refugees, many of whom are being displaced again. Redina Muhammad is from Sudan and is pregnant. Warned to leave Beirut's southern suburbs, she and her family walked for three hours to try to find safety. She says her children are scared and she worries about where she'll give birth. War in Lebanon is worsening the economic collapse in the country, where around 80% of people live in poverty. Health care services are severely curtailed. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, says Lebanon must disarm Hezbollah to prevent attacks against his country. Lebanon's weakened government is walking a tightrope. It has taken steps to root out the Iranian proxy, but it also fears that any clashes with Hezbollah could lead to civil war.

Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. China's foreign minister, Wang Yi says the war in the Middle East should never have happened. Beijing's top diplomat is speaking out ahead of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump later this month. Wang is calling for an immediate ceasefire to prevent, quote, the spread of the flames of war. It's China's strongest statement yet since the war began. Canadians continue to escape the war. Many boarding charter flights out of Dubai, and that's despite the airport being sporadically closed due to security threats and nearby drone strikes. Reporter Megan Willis

Williams has more from Dubai. The flight carrying about 90 Canadians left Dubai's secondary airport, Al-Mak-Tum, just before 10 last night. It had been delayed after drone strikes hit near Dubai International Airport earlier in the day and temporarily grounded flights. A source that the Canadian embassy in Abu Dhabi says about 120 Canadians initially registered for the charter. In the end, 93 passengers showed up, including three infants. Some chose not to take the flight to Istanbul

and instead booked commercial flights directly back to Canada. Embassy officials say many passengers were shaken after days of hearing missiles and drones intercepted over the city. Last night, another drone slipped through the UAE's air defense system that struck near the Marina District. A man was killed when his car was hit by falling shrapnel. Alerts continue again this morning with the defense ministry urging residents to seek shelter

as missiles are intercepted overhead. The UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahan says the country is facing a time of war, but remains strong. The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh. We are no easy prey, he said. In the meantime, more than 300 flights left Dubai yesterday, though delays and cancellations continue. Megan Williams, CBC News, Dubai. Here at home, the federal government is announcing by-elections today in three ridings. Tour in Toronto, Scarborough Southwest, and University Rosedale.

They've been vacant since Bill Blair and Christia Freeland stepped down. The third seat is in the Montreal riding of Terrebon. The Supreme Court annulled the previous result there due to a dispute over the vote count. Electors go to the polls April the 13th. Today is International Women's Day and tomorrow the first day of the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. At the event, experts will be taking stock of progress made on women's rights and status. CBC's Maddie Ryan talked to two women from...

Atlantic Canada who will be there. Every day, the stories of women are told, you know, do we get to tell the stories about ourselves? Susan Murray will be coming with questions when she heads to New York City. The St. John's native is one of three Newfoundlanders set to visit the United

Nations Commission on the status of women this week. They're part of a delegation for the Canadian Federation of University Women. The Commission is an annual gathering of policy makers, government leaders, and activists from around the world. The UN calling it instrumental in promoting women's and girls' rights and shaping global standards.

Grace Hollett has seen women's status backsliding around the world since first attending the event in 2015. At first, things were improving. So it was very positive, but there were many problems throughout the world, but generally there was some improvement. And then, of course, we had COVID, and there was some things went back, went backwards. Hallett says the ideas discussed could play a role in improving the status of women. The panel will explore how representation of women in the media transforms lives. We see that life cycle of stories that aren't really representing who we are and what we need to be particularly across health and legal systems as well too.

The conference at the UN's New York headquarters runs until March 19th. Maddie Ryan, CBC News, St. John's. And finally, Canada's first gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Winter. Games is being celebrated. Nudley Wilkie of Salmon, B.C. won gold in the women's individual standing parabiathlon. It's the second medal in two days for Wilkie who won silver yesterday. Also today, Mark Arendes of Hartsville-Pei won bronze and the men's individual standing in parabiathlon.

Canada's medal count at the Games now stands at 6. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with here at CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.