Israel has claimed responsibility for the killing of senior Iranian security officials, including top figures linked to Iran’s internal security apparatus, as the ongoing war in the region intensifies.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that a key Iranian security leader, Ali Larijani, was killed in a strike on Monday night.
However, Iranian authorities have yet to confirm the claim.
In a separate development, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, in a targeted operation.
The Basij, a militia under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, plays a central role in enforcing internal security and suppressing dissent within Iran.
The IDF described the killing as a “significant blow” to Iran’s security command structure, though it did not disclose the exact location of the strike.
Meanwhile, tensions spread to Baghdad, Iraq, where a blast was reported near the United States Embassy Baghdad.
Reports indicate that air defence systems were activated to intercept a projectile approximately 600 metres from the diplomatic compound. The embassy had also been targeted in a similar incident days earlier.
The conflict has expanded across the region, with Israeli forces launching what they described as a “wide-scale wave” of strikes on targets in Tehran and positions linked to Hezbollah in Beirut.
Elsewhere, a drone attack forced the suspension of operations at a gas field in Abu Dhabi, while a tanker was reportedly hit near a key oil port in the United Arab Emirates.
At Dubai International Airport, flights were temporarily disrupted following a drone-related incident that sparked a nearby fuel tank fire, though operations have since begun to resume.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains tense, with major global powers hesitating to escalate military involvement despite calls from Donald Trump to secure the vital shipping route.
The strait, a critical artery for global oil shipments, has been severely disrupted, raising concerns about a prolonged energy crisis and wider economic fallout.
As the war continues with no clear resolution in sight, the risk of further escalation across the Middle East remains high.
