^ First he was reported dead.
^ People believed it because his father, wife, and other relatives were also killed in the strike.
^ Then he was elected Supreme Leader.
^ Suddenly, his death was tinfoil.
^ Now a cardboard version of him is showing up instead of the real guy.
^ The tinfoil is back in full force.

Ceremony. State media showed Monday’s loyalty rallies in Tehran and Isfahan with portraits of both Ali Khamenei and the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Rumors. That fed the obvious question online: is he alive, and where is he?

TLDR:
^ Federal alert says Iran-linked encrypted traffic was intercepted.
^ Officials think it may have been a trigger for sleeper assets.
^ The signal was rebroadcast across multiple countries.
^ It showed up after Ali Khamenei was killed on Feb 28.

Alert. Federal law enforcement got a warning after the US intercepted encrypted communications believed to be from Iran. Officials think the message may have been an “operational trigger” meant for sleeper assets outside the country.

Timing. The transmission was picked up shortly after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.

Method. The message was encrypted and appears to have been designed for covert recipients who already had the key to decode it.

Response. For now, the alert says there is no specific operational threat tied to any one location. Even so, law enforcement agencies were told to increase monitoring for suspicious radio-frequency activity.

TLDR:
^ Ukraine sent interceptor drones and specialists to Jordan.
^ Zelenskyy said the USA asked on March 5.
^ The team was dispatched the next day as Iran hit back.
^ The job is protecting USA bases and facilities.
^ Ukraine says more countries now want its drone defense know-how.

Request. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said the US asked Ukraine for help on March 5, after strikes on Iran. He said Ukraine agreed right away and sent a team the next day.

Mission. The deployment included interceptor drones and specialist personnel tasked with helping defend US military bases in Jordan against Iranian retaliation.

Reason. Ukraine has spent years learning how to deal with Iranian-made Shahed drones because Russia has used them heavily since 2022.

Interest. In fact, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has gotten 11 requests from countries near Iran, plus requests from several European states and the US, about interceptor tech, electronic warfare systems, and training.

TLDR:
^ Turkey says NATO shot down a second Iranian missile in a week.
^ This one entered Turkish airspace before it got hit.
^ Debris from the missile fell in empty fields near key US and NATO sites.
^ No casualties were reported.
^ Ankara warned Iran again but still didn't trigger NATO's Article 4.

Strike. Turkey said NATO air defenses shot down a second Iranian ballistic missile on Monday after it crossed into Turkish airspace. It was the second intercept in less than a week.

Fallout. NATO confirmed it stopped a missile heading toward Turkey, and Ankara said debris landed in empty fields in Gaziantep with no casualties.

Warning. Turkish officials said they would act against any threat to the country's territory and airspace, and Erdogan said Iran was taking "wrong and provocative steps."

Pressure. Turkey has built up its defense industry, but it still relied on NATO air defenses in both incidents this week. ewThat leaves Ankara trying to stay out of the Iran war even as missiles keep crossing into its orbit.