live Middle East conflict: Key developments on Wednesday as U.S. submarine sinks Iranian warship
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the "Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troops alongside federal agencies to tackle rising crime in Memphis, Tennessee.
The order was signed on Monday at the White House during a meeting with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
Trump described the operation as a “replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts” in Washington DC, where federal forces and National Guard troops were previously mobilised to reduce criminal activity.
The Memphis task force will include officials from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
“We’re sending in the big force now,” Trump said.
The president said the initiative was prompted by concerns over Memphis’ crime rate, which remains above the national average and has risen since last year, despite local police reporting decreases across major crime categories in the first eight months of 2025. Gun violence remains a significant challenge in the city, which recorded more than 390 homicides in 2023.
Governor Lee welcomed the federal support, saying the joint effort could bring “meaningful changes” to Memphis. Trump indicated similar deployments could follow in other cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and Portland, though action in some locations may be delayed.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young has expressed opposition to the deployment, saying he did not request the National Guard and questioning whether it is the right approach to reducing crime.
The memorandum builds on previous federal efforts, including National Guard deployments to Los Angeles in June to control protests and to Washington DC last month as part of an anti-crime operation, which reportedly removed around 1,500 offenders from the capital.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
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