Israel reports killing of Iranian security chief as clashes with Tehran continue

Overnight Israeli airstrikes targeting senior Iranian officials have killed Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani and Basij militia leader Gholamreza Soleimani, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said, according to Reuters.

If confirmed, Larijani would be the highest-ranking Iranian official killed since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died on Feb. 28 during the first day of joint Israeli-U.S. airstrikes.

The conflict, involving the three countries, has lasted three weeks and has already killed at least 2,000 people. The active exchange of strikes and missile and drone attacks by Iran on Gulf nations has also caused disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and has pushed oil prices higher. U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to reopen the strait by deploying naval forces and calling on allies for assistance, with limited success so far.

In response to the overnight attacks, Iran also launched missiles at Israel, demonstrating that it still has the capacity to carry out long-range strikes and there is no end to the war in sight.