Iran launched a volley of cluster missiles at central Israel, claiming retaliation for the assassination of its top security official, Ali Larijani, as the conflict with Israel and the United States entered its third week.
The overnight attack on Tuesday struck near Tel Aviv, killing an elderly couple in Ramat Gan, injuring several others, and damaging infrastructure, including a train station. The missiles, equipped with multiple warheads designed to evade defensive systems, sparked widespread alarm among residents, as per Al Jazeera.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strikes were ‘revenge for the blood of martyr Dr. Ali Larijani and his companions,’ with funerals for Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani scheduled for Wednesday. Al Jazeera correspondents described the night in Israel as tense, with citizens unable to reach safe rooms in time, raising concerns about the responsiveness of air raid alerts.
Following the retaliatory strikes, Israel reportedly conducted additional attacks inside Iran, including a strike on a judiciary facility in Larestan, and assaults in Dorud and the Chegeni region that resulted in multiple civilian casualties and injuries. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed that Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, was killed in one of the air raids, though Tehran has not confirmed the report.
Amid the chaos, Iran executed an alleged Mossad spy, highlighting the country’s crackdown on collaborators. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that a projectile struck the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant compound, though no damage or injuries occurred.
Larijani’s killing marks the highest-profile targeted assassination since Israel attempted to strike Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict. Iran’s government insists its political system remains intact and resilient. ‘The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic and social institutions,’ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated. ‘The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure.’
As both nations escalate attacks, civilians in Israel and Iran are enduring the deadly consequences, while the risk of further strikes and retaliation continues to loom over the region.
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