Evacuate or Die: 700,000 People Displaced by Israeli Bombing Campaign in Lebanon
An Israeli military order telling residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately” sent thousands of people fleeing their neighborhoods on Thursday. Hours later, Israeli warplanes bombed the same area as Israel widened its attacks on Lebanon following the US–Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, bringing Beirut, southern Lebanon, and eastern towns under fire.
The order triggered chaos across Dahiyeh as families rushed out of densely populated neighborhoods with little idea where they were supposed to go. Roads out of the area clogged with traffic as residents packed cars, gathered belongings, and searched for shelter before the strikes began. Over 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since the US-Israel War on Iran began.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/world/middleeast/israel-evacuation-lebanon-iran-trump.html
Former US Embassy Employee in Burkina Faso Sentenced to Life in Prison for Rape of Two Girls
The US Department of Justice released a statement that they have sentenced a former US Embassy employee to life in prison for the rape of two minor girls during his time employed in Burkina Faso.
Fode Sitafa Mara, a 41 year old man from Maryland, was charged with four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, one count each of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted obstruction of justice.
Mara preyed on two young girls, 13 and 15 years old, whose mother has a life-threatening illness. He used their situation to coerce them into going to his home where the sexual abuse took place, offering support to them in exchange as they were in a vulnerable circumstance.
In the official statement from Washington, government officials condemned Mara’s crimes, calling them “reprehensible,” vowing that “those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price.”
While in this case a child sexual abuser is rightfully behind bars now, this is just one instance of abuse abroad at the hands of US officials, politicians and military members. Real justice for these victims cannot come from the US justice system.
The sitting president of the US is mentioned over a million times in the released Epstein files, not to mention all other government officials and affiliates with connections to billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein who appear in emails, photos, and who knows what else.
Just last week the House voted overwhelmingly against a bill “directing the House Ethics Committee to make public all reports on allegations of congressional lawmakers and aides engaging in sexual misconduct or harassment,” 357 votes against to 65 in favor of the bill.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93wx97wl10o
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-american-embassy-employee-sentenced-rape-minors-burkina-faso
Negligent Murder: Haitian Refugee Dies After Being Refused Medical Care by ICE
Emmanuel Damas entered the United States in 2024, after having been sponsored through the Biden-era CHNV (Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan) parole program by his brother, Presner Nelson. Haiti has long been brutalized by the US empire, and Emmanuel, like many Haitians, very naturally sought stability, safety, and prosperity in the heart of his nation’s tormentor. Instead, he died here. He was 56.
Emmanuel was detained by ICE in September of 2025, and was ordered removed from the country in January of 2026; he filed an appeal later in January, but was kept in detention during the appeals process. In February, he began to complain about tooth pain – according to his brother, he repeatedly visited the infirmary, but was simply given Ibuprofen, instead of receiving a proper medical examination and appropriate medical care. On February 19th, he collapsed, and was transferred first to Florence Anthem Hospital, and then to the John C. Lincoln Medical Center Intensive Care Unit, where he was found to have a severe tooth infection. The timeline becomes confused here; all throughout, Emmanuel’s family had been desperately begging ICE for any information on his status and location; on February 23rd, his brother was told that he was back in ICE custody, which seems unlikely given that his tooth infection had spread to his lungs, he had severe pneumonia, was heavily sedated, and was scheduled for surgery. By the time Emmanuel’s family was able to locate and visit him, the prognosis was grim: he was in a coma, and his situation was beyond recovery. He died on March 2nd.
It cannot be overemphasized that Emmanuel Damas did not need to die. Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis, who is a registered nurse, put it quite succinctly: “…how can a nurse who’s in the infirmary with someone keep coming to you and say they are in pain with a jaw that is swollen, and you couldn’t do a physical assessment to check to see if they have lymph nodes that are swollen, and then call the medical director and get them on some antibiotics.” Were the ICE nurses incompetent, or did they simply not care? Perhaps they were even malicious; perhaps it was not enough to torment a refugee with arbitrary detention for months in inhumane conditions, so he was also made to suffer an agonizing, totally preventable death. Regardless, ICE did not act when one of its detainees was suffering a severe, but easily treatable, medical emergency – the death of Emmanuel Damas was negligent murder.
Emmanuel Damas was not the first person to die in ICE custody this year; he was proceeded by nine victims of ICE’s negligence and inhumanity this year, and thirty-two last year. He will not be the last; so long as ICE has impunity to rampage throughout the US, terrorizing immigrants and those who would risk their lives to defend the oppressed, more innocents will die. ICE cannot be allowed to continue to operate. The regime of anti-immigrant terror, and all other forms of oppression, must be brought to an end by whatever means are necessary.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/05/ice-detainee-arizona-death
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/emmanuel-damas-ice-death-toothache-boston-arizona/
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/criminal-illegal-alien-ice-custody-passes-away-scottsdale-arizona
https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_777ac625-4bbd-4021-bb13-819f02e25e7b.html
US Launches Military Operation in Ecuador
On March 3rd, the US Southern Command, a branch of the US military presiding over Latin America, launched military operations against drug cartel operations in Ecuador. Partnering up with Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, who is known for his mano dura (“iron fist”) approach to crime, the US used helicopters, drones, and river boats to target and bomb sites where so-called designated terrorist organizations were trafficking drugs. On Friday, these “lethal kinetic operations” struck a training camp near the Colombian border belonging to Comandos de la Frontera, a Colombian criminal paramilitary group. The amount of casualties or prisoners taken is unknown as of yet.
Noboa, a comprador of US empire, ratified agreements that officially welcomed the US military back onto Ecuadorian soil in February 2024 after a 15-year period of expulsion. His government has been imposing tariffs on Colombia in the name of fighting narco-terrorism and is now dubbing this joint offensive with the US “Operation Total Extermination.” This past weekend, right-wing leaders from across the region, including Noboa and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, convened in Miami for Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” summit to strategize a coordinated, militarized escalation of the War on Drugs across Latin America in the coming weeks. “We need your help,” Trump remarked to his lackeys, “You have to just tell us where they are.”
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/07/trump-military-cartels-latin-america-iran-00818070
Behind Enemy Lines 