Israel has killed Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani in a military strike conducted overnight, Defence Minister Yoav Katz confirmed.
Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), was last seen publicly at a Quds Day march in Tehran on Friday. Iran has not yet issued a statement on the attack or confirmed Larijani’s fate.
The strike comes amid a surge of regional instability. Drones and rockets targeted the US embassy in Baghdad, marking the second such attack in recent days. The United Arab Emirates temporarily closed its airspace following missile and drone threats attributed to Iran but has since reopened it.
British Airways announced the suspension of certain flights to the Middle East until the end of May, citing the “continuing uncertainty of the situation.”
US President Donald Trump has called on NATO allies and other nations to take urgent action to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for global oil shipments.
Meanwhile, leaders of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement warning that a major Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon could have “devastating humanitarian consequences,” underscoring international concerns over escalation.
The developments signal a sharp rise in tensions between Israel and Iran, with the potential for further military escalation and wider regional instability.
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