March 17, 2017 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- March 2017 Israel–Syria incident, Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents during the Syrian Civil War
- The Israeli Air Force launches several airstrikes on targets inside Syria, and for the first time, publicly claims responsibility. Syrian air defenses responded by launching missiles at the aircraft, and thereupon Israeli Arrow 3 missiles were launched in response to the counter-offensive. Israel stated that it was targeting suspected weapons shipments to Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding that the Israeli military will keep intervening until they believe such shipments have ceased. According to the Syrian Army, four Israeli jets entered its airspace and struck targets near Palmyra. (CNN) (AP)
- Yemeni Civil War (2015-present)
- An unknown perpetrator using an Apache helicopter fires upon a boat carrying Somali refugees off the coast of Yemen, killing at least 40 of them, injuring 35 more. (Reuters) (AFP via MSN)
- War in North-West Pakistan
- Gunmen raid a Pakistani military post near the border with Afghanistan, killing at least eight people. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, claim responsibility. (Al Jazeera)
- Basque conflict
Disasters and accidents
- Heavy flooding in Peru kills at least 67 people and forces thousands to abandon their homes. (The Guardian)
Politics and elections
- The former Democratic National Committee chair and ex-CNN contributor Donna Brazile admits that she had forwarded some debate questions to Hillary Clinton's campaign during last year's Democratic primary before two debates with Bernie Sanders. (The New York Daily News)
Science
- French mathematician Yves Meyer wins the Abel Prize for his work on the mathematical theory of wavelets. (The Guardian)