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Photos from the Mideast in the 2nd week of the Iran war

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Photos from the Mideast in the 2nd week of the Iran war
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Photos from the Mideast in the 2nd week of the Iran war

2026-03-17 00:40 Last Updated At:00:51

Photos from the ground as the war on Iran launched by the United States and Israel enters its second week.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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Mourners react during the funeral ceremony for Gen. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Defense Council and a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader who was killed in a strike, at the courtyard of the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners react during the funeral ceremony for Gen. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Defense Council and a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader who was killed in a strike, at the courtyard of the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Children with a dog sit inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Children with a dog sit inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Smoke rises from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke rises from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Muslim worker prays while kneeling on a rock in a river bed as he breaks from his work at a traditional charcoal production site in Sarkand, Iraq, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A Muslim worker prays while kneeling on a rock in a river bed as he breaks from his work at a traditional charcoal production site in Sarkand, Iraq, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

An Israeli army strike explodes next to a tent camp after residents were given a warning to evacuate before the strike in Gaza City, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

An Israeli army strike explodes next to a tent camp after residents were given a warning to evacuate before the strike in Gaza City, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

Missiles launched from Iran are seen in the sky over central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Missiles launched from Iran are seen in the sky over central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A girl walks inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A girl walks inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Muslim youths stand outside a mosque after the evening prayer during the holy month of Ramadan in Lajan, Iraq, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Muslim youths stand outside a mosque after the evening prayer during the holy month of Ramadan in Lajan, Iraq, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Fire and plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Fire and plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

U.S. embassy personnel inspect the damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

U.S. embassy personnel inspect the damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Rescue workers inspect an apartment damaged in an Israeli airstrike as thick smoke fills the building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Rescue workers inspect an apartment damaged in an Israeli airstrike as thick smoke fills the building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rises following a direct hit by an Iranian missile strike in Holon, central Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Smoke rises following a direct hit by an Iranian missile strike in Holon, central Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A woman looks at a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A woman looks at a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Rescue workers carry a severely injured man after pulling him from the rubble following a strike in southern Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Sajjad Safari)

Rescue workers carry a severely injured man after pulling him from the rubble following a strike in southern Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Sajjad Safari)

A cleric chants slogans during the annual anti-Israeli Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric chants slogans during the annual anti-Israeli Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Residents flee the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Residents flee the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Residents inspect a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Residents inspect a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli authorities inspect homes damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israeli authorities inspect homes damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People inspect the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

People inspect the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A woman gathers belongings from her family's home after it was damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

A woman gathers belongings from her family's home after it was damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Workers inspect damage caused by a drone strike overnight at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Workers inspect damage caused by a drone strike overnight at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

A woman sits on rubble across from a residential building damaged last Monday during the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman sits on rubble across from a residential building damaged last Monday during the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Smoke and flames rise from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke and flames rise from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Residents inspect damage which according to them was caused by fragments of an intercepted Iranian rocket that landed on a Palestinian three story building, in West Bank town of Biddya, west of Salfit, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Residents inspect damage which according to them was caused by fragments of an intercepted Iranian rocket that landed on a Palestinian three story building, in West Bank town of Biddya, west of Salfit, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

People take cover in an underground bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

People take cover in an underground bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Rescue workers gather at the site where Israeli airstrikes hit apartments in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Rescue workers gather at the site where Israeli airstrikes hit apartments in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A boy runs inside cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A boy runs inside cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

People walk past closed shops at the nearly empty traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk past closed shops at the nearly empty traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country’s flag to his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country’s flag to his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man passes in front of a destroyed building that housed a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A man passes in front of a destroyed building that housed a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

People wave Iranian flags as they hold posters of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, showing him at different ages, during a rally to support his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his father as the new supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People wave Iranian flags as they hold posters of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, showing him at different ages, during a rally to support his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his father as the new supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Residents look on and take pictures as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility struck as attacks hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Alireza Sotakbar/ISNA via AP)

Residents look on and take pictures as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility struck as attacks hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Alireza Sotakbar/ISNA via AP)

Plumes of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil facility late Saturday linger and merge with the cloudy sky over Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Plumes of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil facility late Saturday linger and merge with the cloudy sky over Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners carry the bodies of Hezbollah fighters who were killed by Israeli airstrikes during their funeral procession in Khraibeh village, eastern Lebanon, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Mourners carry the bodies of Hezbollah fighters who were killed by Israeli airstrikes during their funeral procession in Khraibeh village, eastern Lebanon, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Two women from the Iranian Red Crescent Society stand as a thick plume of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil storage facility late Saturday rises in the sky in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Two women from the Iranian Red Crescent Society stand as a thick plume of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil storage facility late Saturday rises in the sky in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman walks past a cordoned-off area damaged during an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A woman walks past a cordoned-off area damaged during an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A girl displaced by Israeli airstrikes, looks on at a school used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A girl displaced by Israeli airstrikes, looks on at a school used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

The coffin of Mehdi Hosseini, a man killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, is carried for burial at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The coffin of Mehdi Hosseini, a man killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, is carried for burial at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli security forces and ZAKA rescue service members carry the body of a man killed in an Iranian missile strike in Yehud, Israel, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli security forces and ZAKA rescue service members carry the body of a man killed in an Iranian missile strike in Yehud, Israel, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

People gather in a rally to support Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People gather in a rally to support Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Relatives mourn over the flag draped coffin of Mehdi Hosseini who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike during his burial ceremony at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Relatives mourn over the flag draped coffin of Mehdi Hosseini who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike during his burial ceremony at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man holds a poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man holds a poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners react during the funeral ceremony for Gen. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Defense Council and a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader who was killed in a strike, at the courtyard of the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners react during the funeral ceremony for Gen. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Defense Council and a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader who was killed in a strike, at the courtyard of the Imamzadeh Saleh shrine in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Children with a dog sit inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Children with a dog sit inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Smoke rises from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke rises from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A Muslim worker prays while kneeling on a rock in a river bed as he breaks from his work at a traditional charcoal production site in Sarkand, Iraq, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A Muslim worker prays while kneeling on a rock in a river bed as he breaks from his work at a traditional charcoal production site in Sarkand, Iraq, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

An Israeli army strike explodes next to a tent camp after residents were given a warning to evacuate before the strike in Gaza City, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

An Israeli army strike explodes next to a tent camp after residents were given a warning to evacuate before the strike in Gaza City, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Yousef Al Zanoun)

Missiles launched from Iran are seen in the sky over central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Missiles launched from Iran are seen in the sky over central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A girl walks inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A girl walks inside a cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Muslim youths stand outside a mosque after the evening prayer during the holy month of Ramadan in Lajan, Iraq, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Muslim youths stand outside a mosque after the evening prayer during the holy month of Ramadan in Lajan, Iraq, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Fire and plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Fire and plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

U.S. embassy personnel inspect the damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

U.S. embassy personnel inspect the damage caused by a bombing in Baghdad, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Rescue workers inspect an apartment damaged in an Israeli airstrike as thick smoke fills the building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

Rescue workers inspect an apartment damaged in an Israeli airstrike as thick smoke fills the building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rises following a direct hit by an Iranian missile strike in Holon, central Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Smoke rises following a direct hit by an Iranian missile strike in Holon, central Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A woman looks at a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A woman looks at a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Rescue workers carry a severely injured man after pulling him from the rubble following a strike in southern Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Sajjad Safari)

Rescue workers carry a severely injured man after pulling him from the rubble following a strike in southern Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Sajjad Safari)

A cleric chants slogans during the annual anti-Israeli Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A cleric chants slogans during the annual anti-Israeli Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Residents flee the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Residents flee the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit an apartment building in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Residents inspect a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Residents inspect a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli authorities inspect homes damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Israeli authorities inspect homes damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People inspect the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

People inspect the site of a destroyed branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A woman gathers belongings from her family's home after it was damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

A woman gathers belongings from her family's home after it was damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel, central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

Workers inspect damage caused by a drone strike overnight at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Workers inspect damage caused by a drone strike overnight at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

A woman sits on rubble across from a residential building damaged last Monday during the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman sits on rubble across from a residential building damaged last Monday during the U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Smoke and flames rise from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke and flames rise from buildings following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Residents inspect damage which according to them was caused by fragments of an intercepted Iranian rocket that landed on a Palestinian three story building, in West Bank town of Biddya, west of Salfit, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Residents inspect damage which according to them was caused by fragments of an intercepted Iranian rocket that landed on a Palestinian three story building, in West Bank town of Biddya, west of Salfit, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

People take cover in an underground bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

People take cover in an underground bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike, in Ramat Gan, Israel, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Rescue workers gather at the site where Israeli airstrikes hit apartments in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Rescue workers gather at the site where Israeli airstrikes hit apartments in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, at sunset in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

A boy runs inside cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A boy runs inside cement pipe turned into a bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian missile strike in Michmoret, Israel, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

People walk past closed shops at the nearly empty traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk past closed shops at the nearly empty traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country’s flag to his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country’s flag to his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man passes in front of a destroyed building that housed a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A man passes in front of a destroyed building that housed a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

People wave Iranian flags as they hold posters of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, showing him at different ages, during a rally to support his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his father as the new supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People wave Iranian flags as they hold posters of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, showing him at different ages, during a rally to support his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeds his father as the new supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Residents look on and take pictures as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility struck as attacks hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Alireza Sotakbar/ISNA via AP)

Residents look on and take pictures as flames and smoke rise from an oil storage facility struck as attacks hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (Alireza Sotakbar/ISNA via AP)

Plumes of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil facility late Saturday linger and merge with the cloudy sky over Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Plumes of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil facility late Saturday linger and merge with the cloudy sky over Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners carry the bodies of Hezbollah fighters who were killed by Israeli airstrikes during their funeral procession in Khraibeh village, eastern Lebanon, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Mourners carry the bodies of Hezbollah fighters who were killed by Israeli airstrikes during their funeral procession in Khraibeh village, eastern Lebanon, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Two women from the Iranian Red Crescent Society stand as a thick plume of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil storage facility late Saturday rises in the sky in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Two women from the Iranian Red Crescent Society stand as a thick plume of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil storage facility late Saturday rises in the sky in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman walks past a cordoned-off area damaged during an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A woman walks past a cordoned-off area damaged during an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A girl displaced by Israeli airstrikes, looks on at a school used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A girl displaced by Israeli airstrikes, looks on at a school used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

The coffin of Mehdi Hosseini, a man killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, is carried for burial at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The coffin of Mehdi Hosseini, a man killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, is carried for burial at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israeli security forces and ZAKA rescue service members carry the body of a man killed in an Iranian missile strike in Yehud, Israel, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli security forces and ZAKA rescue service members carry the body of a man killed in an Iranian missile strike in Yehud, Israel, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

People gather in a rally to support Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People gather in a rally to support Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Relatives mourn over the flag draped coffin of Mehdi Hosseini who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike during his burial ceremony at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Relatives mourn over the flag draped coffin of Mehdi Hosseini who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike during his burial ceremony at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man holds a poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man holds a poster of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, during a rally to support him in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday encouraged some of the wealthiest U.S. Catholics to keep on giving to support his charitable works, in an audience that confirmed how the election of the first U.S.-born pope has invigorated American Catholics and their donations.

The Chicago-born Leo met with members of The Papal Foundation, a major funder of papal development projects in the developing world, in the Apostolic Palace at the end of their annual pilgrimage to Rome.

In his remarks, Leo thanked the foundation stewards for their generosity, which he said had allowed "countless people to experience in a concrete fashion the goodness and kindness of God in their own communities.”

He noted in particular the priests and nuns from poor countries who are able to study at Rome’s pontifical universities to earn advanced degrees thanks to scholarships funded by foundation’s grants, which combined over the past four decades have totaled more than $270 million.

While The Papal Foundation contributions to the Vatican remained strong during Pope Francis’ 12-year pontificate, other donations to the Holy See tanked during the global financial crisis, COVID-19 and other strains. Some U.S. Catholics also soured on donating to the Holy See following years of unrelenting stories of mismanagement, corruption and scandal, as well as Francis’ known criticism of American-style capitalism.

The election of Leo seems to have reinvigorated the U.S. church, especially the donor class. On Saturday The Papal Foundation announced that its members had approved more than $15 million in grants for 2026, a record in the foundation’s 38-year history.

The foundation also announced that 25 new families had joined it in the year since Leo’s election, in the strongest sign yet that the election of an American, English-speaking pope — and a math major with an eye to the Vatican's balance sheet — has been good news for church fundraising.

“The growth we’re seeing is incredibly encouraging, as it reflects a shared commitment to serve, to give, and to bring the church’s mission to life in meaningful ways across the globe,” David Savage, the foundation’s executive director, said in a statement.

The foundation was created by the late Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia in 1988, as a way for wealthy U.S. Catholics to directly fund charitable initiatives of the pope.

To become a steward requires a $1 million gift to a fund that then helps support papal projects, such as building orphanages or monasteries. For 2026, for example, some of the approved projects include the construction or renovation of a safe school for marginalized tribal children in India, and professional technical training for vulnerable women in the Philippines.

The foundation currently has as its members all the U.S. cardinals, and is governed by a board of trustees made up of Catholic laypeople and bishops.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

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