ISRAEL's defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the Israeli military had killed Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani in overnight airstrikes, as fighting across the region continued.
Katz said he had been informed by the military that Larijani had been killed. There was no immediate confirmation from Tehran. Iranian state media published a handwritten note by Larijani commemorating sailors killed in a US attack, with their funeral expected on Tuesday.
If confirmed, Larijani would be the most senior figure killed since Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28 in Israeli-US strikes.
Katz also said Soleimani, head of Iran’s Basij forces, was killed. The Basij is a paramilitary force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is often used to quell protests.
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The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered “the elimination of senior officials of the Iranian regime”.
The war involving the United States and Israel against Iran is in its third week, with at least 2,000 people killed. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, and US allies have rejected calls by Donald Trump to help reopen it. Around 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows through the route.
Fighting continued early Tuesday. Iran launched missiles towards Israel overnight. The Israeli military said it was targeting “Iranian regime infrastructure” in Tehran and also carried out strikes on Hezbollah sites in Beirut. Israel said it has plans for at least three more weeks of war.
At the same time, Israel carried out new strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas south of the Lebanese capital. Lebanese state media said two neighbourhoods were hit and a strike in Doha Aramoun wounded an Ethiopian woman.
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Lebanon has been involved in the conflict since March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel following U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Khamenei. Israel has since carried out strikes across Lebanon and ground operations in the south.
Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah in the latest strikes and confirmed “limited” ground operations. The Lebanese health ministry said 886 people have been killed since March 2, including 67 women and 111 children, and 2,141 have been wounded.
The Israeli military renewed evacuation calls for areas extending more than 40 kilometres from the border. The Norwegian Refugee Council said about 14 per cent of Lebanon is under evacuation warnings.
Lebanese authorities said more than one million people have been displaced since March 2, with over 130,000 staying in more than 600 shelters.
Katz said displaced people “will not return to their homes” in southern Lebanon until security for residents in northern Israel is ensured.
In Sidon, displaced people were sleeping in cars along the seafront. Jihan Kaisi, who runs a shelter, said, “Saida is full, we have no more capacity”.
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“Lots of people are coming every day to ask for shelter but we don't have space anymore, we can't accept them,” she said.
A strike in the Sidon region targeted a building after a warning from the Israeli military. In Nabatieh, five Lebanese soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in another strike.
Israel said additional troops had been deployed in southern Lebanon. Military chief Eyal Zamir said “more than 400 terrorists have been eliminated so far”.
Hezbollah said it launched rockets and drones towards Nahariya, where a man was wounded. It also claimed two rocket attacks on Israeli soldiers near Maroun al-Ras and Meiss El Jabal.
Leaders of Germany, Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom said a large-scale Israeli ground operation in Lebanon “would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict”.
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In other developments, Iraq said it was in contact with Iran to allow oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani said, “Communications are underway with the relevant authorities to authorise the passage of certain oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, in order that we can resume our exports”.
Oil prices rose more than five per cent. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose 5.16 per cent to $98.32 a barrel, while Brent crude also rose above five per cent before easing.
A drone strike caused a fire at the Fujairah oil complex in the UAE, with no injuries reported. Qatar said it intercepted a missile attack, and explosions were heard in Doha. Explosions were also reported in Dubai, where residents were warned to “immediately seek a safe place” over “potential missile threats”.
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In Abu Dhabi, falling shrapnel from an intercepted missile killed a Pakistani national. In Kuwait, two medical staff were injured when shrapnel hit a medical centre.
An “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off Oman, causing minor damage but no injuries.
Iran reported loud explosions in Tehran after a night of strikes. The Revolutionary Guards said they had arrested 10 “foreign spies” in Razavi Khorasan province.
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China said it would provide humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “China has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. It is hoped this will help alleviate the humanitarian plight faced by the local populations”.
A drone and rocket attack also targeted the US embassy in Baghdad. A security official said, “three drones and four rockets attacked the embassy, with at least one drone crashing inside it”.
(With inputs from agencies)
