Good morning. Today, fighting enters Day 10 of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. More on that below, along with federal by-elections and a renewed push for paperbacks. Let’s get to it.
 
 

 
 
 
Plumes of smoke rise over oil depot tanks hit by joint Israel-U.S. strikes overnight north west of Tehran on March 8. Hossein Esmaeili/The Globe and Mail
 
 
 
 
 
 

The latest: Iran’s Assembly of Experts has named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader, state media reported on Sunday. The reclusive hard-liner had already been expected to be next in line. Israel has threatened whoever is chosen and the move could also draw the ire of the U.S. President who says he should have a role in the selection.
 
 

On the ground: Fighting continued to escalate over the weekend as thick black smoke hung over Tehran after strikes on oil-storage facilities. The U.S. military on Sunday reported a seventh American has died and Israel continued to target senior Iranian figures with military strikes.
 
 

In the air: Middle East Airlines, which earned the moniker of “most badass airline on the planet” for continuing to fly in and out of Beirut throughout a two-month Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, is living up to that reputation once again.
 
 

From Ottawa: The first flight chartered by the federal government to evacuate Canadians from the Middle East landed in Istanbul early Sunday, though with only half the number of Canadian passengers for which it had capacity.
 
 
 

What’s next: Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was not seeking negotiations to end the conflict, which has driven up global energy prices, disrupted business and snarled air travel.
 
 

Opinion: Canada’s rhetorical support for the war on Iran has an audience of one.
 
 

 
 
 
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with reporters on the final day of a three-country tour, in Tokyo on March 7. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
 
 
 
 
 
 

The latest: The by-elections aim to fill vacancies in the Ontario ridings of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale, as well as one in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, near Montreal. A Liberal sweep of all three ridings would bring the party’s seat count in the House of Commons to 172, which is technically the minimum threshold for a majority government.
 
 

What’s next: The three federal by-elections will take place April 13. The Conservative Party has not yet announced a candidate in any of the ridings.
 
 

 
 
 
Indigo sees its program as a chance to put non-fiction, particularly by Canadian authors, in front of new readers. Photo illustration by Christie Vuong/The Globe and Mail
 
 
 
 
 
 

The latest: Remember paperback books that fit in your pocket? A recent campaign by Indigo Books & Music Inc. to reintroduce the cheaper, compact book format to readers has found early success after years of mass-market paperback struggles. Now, the retailer sees an opportunity to help another category that has been persistently struggling: Canadian non-fiction.
 
 

What else: This spring, a wide range of promising books invite readers into worlds both familiar and strange. Intimate or expansive, grounded or fantastical, this season’s crop reveals the many ways personal and global narratives can transform how we see the world. For The Globe’s Spring books preview, we have 39 titles to add to your reading list.