Israel’s defense minister announced Tuesday that Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was killed overnight in an attack on Tehran. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other Israeli officials said a Basij commander was also “eliminated,” and that the Israel Defense Forces have been ordered to continue targeting Iranian leadership and regime assets. Gallant said the IDF is operating inside Iran to degrade missile-launch capabilities and destroy strategic infrastructure, actions he said will set Iran back.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar reported Iranian aerial attacks early Tuesday. Saudi authorities said they intercepted and destroyed more than a dozen drones, many over the country’s eastern region. Qatari officials reported that debris from an intercepted missile sparked a small industrial fire but caused no injuries. UAE authorities said air defenses were responding to incoming missile and drone threats and that the sounds civilians heard were from interception activity.
Israel has also increased troop levels in Lebanon after launching what it described as a “limited” ground operation against Hezbollah positions. The IDF said the additional deployments are intended to establish a forward defense posture, remove threats from Hezbollah strongholds and enhance security for residents in northern Israel.
Separately, a tanker anchored roughly 23 nautical miles off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, was struck by an unknown projectile early Tuesday, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations reported. UKMTO warned that the security situation near the Strait of Hormuz remains critical and noted that since the outbreak of hostilities on Feb. 28, at least 20 maritime incidents involving commercial vessels and offshore infrastructure have been reported across the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
The developments mark a widening regional confrontation involving strikes, interceptions and maritime incidents, with governments in the Gulf and Israel signaling continued military action and heightened vigilance.