SBS News

It's now five days since Israel and the US launched attacks on Iran and the war is now spreading far beyond the Middle East. Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country will not rule out participation in military action if conflict between the US, Israel and Iran continues to spread. “One can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies when it makes sense,” he said, during a press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra. The Canadian Prime Minister wraps up his visit to Australia this week, following discussions on deepening ties between the two nations. Both leaders described the two countries as strategic cousins and agreed that like-minded middle powers must work together to secure their future. Read more @sbsnews.com.au (link in bio).

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has responded to US President Donald Trump's threats of imposing a trade embargo on Spain. "We're going to cut off all trade with Spain," Trump said, after the nation refused to allow US aircraft to use jointly operated naval and air bases in southern Spain for the offensive against Iran. Earlier, Spain denounced the US and Israeli bombings of Iran. Following the comments by Trump and Sánchez, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested Spain has agreed to cooperate with the US military. However, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has come out to rebuke this claim. "Our position about the use of our bases, about the war in the Middle East and the bombardment of Iran has not changed at all,” Albares said. For the latest news, visit @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

United States homeland security secretary Kristi Noem has appeared to stand by her comments claiming that two US citizens fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were "domestic terrorists". During a US House Judiciary Committee hearing, ranking member Jamie Raskin repeatedly asked Noem whether she would retract or apologise for the claims. She replied by saying there were "ongoing investigations" being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and that ICE and Homeland Security Investigations officers had "risked their lives to protect the scene so that evidence could be reclaimed". Raskin then pressed her on the legalities of law enforcement actions in relation to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who died in two separate incidents. Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio)

Currently in Australia for the Asian Cup, Iranian footballer Sara Didar fought back tears as she expressed hope that her country would remain "strongly alive" as war in the Middle East continues to escalate. Didar welled up when she relayed her concern for her nation and her teammates' families, speaking ahead of Thursday's match against the Matildas. During the press conference, Didar and Iran's head coach Marziyeh Jafari also spoke about the encouragement and support they have felt from Iranian-Australians during the tournament. Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

Hannah Ferguson, CEO of Cheek Media Co, says that young people are growing up towards a future in Australia of deepening inequality. 'We are staring down just increasing inequality, and it's resulting in levels of social isolation where we're uncomfortable because it constantly feels like a battle with each other, rather than the class system that has placed us here,' she said. According to the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute Social Cohesion report, young people - particularly those identifying as poor and those from non-English speaking backgrounds - had the lowest "sense of belonging" across Australia in 2025. You can hear more from Hannah and other views on this topic in the SBS News and Current Affairs special episode, The Social Schism. Join SBS World News presenter Janice Petersen as she brings together high-profile thought leaders and community voices to examine how we got to this point, and how we can find our way through to strengthen inclusion and connection. Premiering on SBS and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 4 March at 7:30pm. In collaboration with #SBSInsight and #SBSExamines

After the Kyle and Jackie O Show went on hiatus on KISS FM, share prices for parent company ARN Media have risen. Following news that Jackie Henderson “cannot continue to work with Mr Kyle Sandilands”, investors quickly jumped onto ARN. The company’s shares had fallen 43 per cent over the past 52 weeks. But while the broader market tumbled hard because of Middle East war concerns on Wednesday, ARN’s shares rose. For the latest news, visit @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

Ruby is among the estimated 115,000 Australians currently in the Middle East. She fled Beirut after the Lebanese capital was hit by Israel airstrikes over the weekend. Ruby says her life is now on standby. "It's chaotic for everyone" the Australian-Lebanese schoolteacher told SBS. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has told parliament that DFAT is facing the largest consular operation they had ever faced in the region. Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

The United Nations Human Rights Office has urged the forces behind a deadly attack on a girls' school in Iran to investigate and share insights into the incident, without saying who it believed was responsible. "The High Commissioner (Volker Turk) calls for a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the attack. The onus is on the forces that carried out the attack to investigate it," UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a Geneva press briefing on Tuesday. "This is absolutely horrific," Shamdasani said, adding that images circulating on social media captured "the essence of the destruction, despair and senselessness and cruelty of this conflict". US secretary of state Marco Rubio said US forces "would not deliberately target a school" after the strike occurred. Israel has said it is investigating the incident. UN calls for probe into deadly strike on girls' school in Iran

US republican senator Lindsey Graham said the Iranian leadership was facing mounting pressure, saying “the amount of firepower coming in the next day or two from us is going to be overwhelming,” adding that regional allies would play a larger role in confronting Tehran. Read the latest here @sbsnews_au (link in bio)

Author and social justice advocate, Hana Assafiri, says terror attacks like the Bondi shooting in December last year are often the catalyst for widespread blame and hatred towards community groups across the country. 'The blame that is acutely felt by individuals, and individuals who symbolically also look like Muslims, places us in harm's way.' According to the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, two in five Australians born in Africa and Asia reported experiencing discrimination in the last 12 months, while 51 per cent of Australians now think that immigration is too high. You can hear more from Hana and other views on this topic on this SBS News and Current Affairs special episode, The Social Schism. Join SBS World News presenter Janice Petersen as she brings together high-profile thought leaders and community voices from across the spectrum to examine how we got to this point, and how we can find our way through to strengthen inclusion and connection. Premiering on SBS and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 4 March at 7:30pm. In collaboration with #SBS Insight and #SBS Examines Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calls for de-escalation in the Middle East and said all countries engaged in hostilities, including the US and Israel, must respect international rules of engagement. Carney added "the current conflict is another example of the failure of the international order". Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

Iranians have been crossing into Türkiye to escape the war, according to journalist Emily Wither at the Iran-Türkiye border. "I spoke to a man who was dropping off his family members and then planning to go straight back ... he was crying as he hugged them goodbye, visibly moved, and he told me through tears: 'What would you do if your country was being unfairly attacked?'" she said. "I have to go back and stand by my country, but I had to make sure my family was safe," the man told her. All three land borders between Iran and Türkiye remain open, but the war has put Türkiye in a delicate position between its neighbour Iran and its NATO ally, the United States. Read more stories @sbsnews_au (link in bio).

Lynda Ben-Menashe, the president of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia, says she has seen a backslide in the way Jewish people are treated in Australia. 'We are back experiencing things that our parents and our grandparents escaped to this country from. Jewish people have always been subject to othering,' she said. According to the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute, 63 per cent of Australians felt a sense of belonging in 2020 which dropped to 46 per cent in 2025. You can hear more from Lynda and other views on this topic in the SBS News and Current Affairs special episode, The Social Schism. Join SBS World News presenter Janice Petersen as she brings together high-profile thought leaders and community voices to examine how we got to this point, and how we can find our way through to strengthen inclusion and connection. Premiering on SBS and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 4 March at 7:30pm. Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio) In collaboration with #SBS Insight and #SBS Examines

The conflict in the Middle East is severely disrupting global energy markets, with key oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE targeted, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz threatened, and a significant portion of the world’s oil, gas, and container traffic now delayed. Read more @sbsnews_au (link in bio).