Morning Digest: Marco Rubio says Israel’s strike plan triggered U.S. attack on Iran; IndiGo to operate 10 relief flights to Jeddah, Air India Express restarts Oman services, and more

Rubio says Israel’s strike plan triggered U.S. attack on Iran

The United States attacked Iran only after learning that ally Israel was going to strike and fearing Tehran would retaliate against U.S. forces, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday (March 2, 2026). “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Mr. Rubio told reporters.

IndiGo to operate 10 relief flights to Jeddah, Air India Express restarts Oman services

Amid continued flight disruptions to the Gulf region, IndiGo will operate 10 special relief flights from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to India on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Air India Express will also resume services to Muscat, Oman, operating six flights from various Indian cities.

Modi speaks to Saudi Crown Prince, Jordan, Bahrain Kings

Against the backdrop of the continued conflict in the Gulf, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the King of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman. The conversation came even as the first Indian casualty of the U.S.-Israel vs Iran conflict was confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Oman, which announced that an Indian sailor onboard oil tanker MKD Vyom has died. 

Toxic gas leaks from Palghar chemical unit; 2,600 evacuated, 3 persons complain of eye irritation

A major leak of hazardous oleum gas at a chemical unit in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Monday (March 2, 2026) led to the evacuation of over 2,600 people, including 1,600 school students, while three persons complained of minor eye irritation, officials said. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. at a unit of Bhageria Industries Ltd. in the Boisar MIDC area on the outskirts of Mumbai. 

Post-SIR, Centre forms two more panels to fast-track CAA applications in West Bengal

Two days after the final electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was published in West Bengal, the Union Home Ministry on Monday (March 2, 2026) notified two more empowered committees to fast-track citizenship applications under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Medical colleges admitting fake patients may see requests for extra seats, courses rejected: NMC

Medical colleges admitting “fake patients” can see their applications for new postgraduate courses or additional seats immediately rejected, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has warned in a recent order. The Commission said some medical colleges admit people who do not require any treatment to fulfill the requirement of bed occupancy and investigations. 

Protest at AI summit was ‘political dissent’, not recidivist violence or organised crime: Delhi court

The Delhi High Court on Monday (March 2, 2026) set aside the stay imposed on the bail granted to Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Uday Bhanu Chib in connection with the February 20 “shirts off” protest at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

DMK sets March 3 deadline for Congress on seat-sharing talks

The ruling DMK leadership is unlikely to wait beyond March 3 for the Congress high command to make up its mind on seat-sharing for the upcoming Assembly elections. The party has set the deadline as it has to finalise before March 5, 2026, the nominees for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha slated for March 16, 2026.

House panel releases videos of Bill and Hillary Clinton answering questions about Epstein

Videos of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answering questions about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released on Monday (March 2, 2026) by a House committee investigating the late financier. The recordings of the depositions, which spanned hours over two days last week, were expected to show how both Clintons distanced themselves from Epstein.