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

Morning Digest: Key updates on U.S.-Iran tensions, flight operations, toxic gas leaks, and political developments in India.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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” 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.