These are the headlines we are tracking for you in this episode of On the News Line:

Drums of war?

Pentagon Chief James Mattis has warned that Iran and Israel may be headed for a military confrontation, accusing Tehran of waging a proxy war in the region. Mattis has told US lawmakers that a military confrontation between Israel and Iran in Syria is becoming increasing likely. The comments come as the Israeli regime itself has on multiple occasions tried to drag the US into a war with Iran but has so far failed. Tehran has repeatedly said that it does not welcome war but will defend itself against any sort of aggression, be it from Israel, the US or any other proxy player.

Stepped-up presence

New data shows the intensity of US military operations in Afghanistan is reaching war time highs. Based on figures released by the US Air Force Central Command, the volume of munitions dropped in Afghanistan in the first three months of this year was higher than the peak of the campaign in 2011. The Pentagon says it is now striking the facilities that militants are using to produce narcotics – what it says is a primary source of their funding.