Frank Rondel
Israel has announced the killing of another senior member of Iran’s leadership. On the heels of the deaths of influential Iranian security chief Ali Laridschani and Basij militia commander Gholamresa Soleimani, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Chatib, has also been killed, reports customreceipt.com with reference to tagesschau. Katz stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he had authorized the Israeli military to eliminate any high-ranking Iranian official without needing further approval. Laridschani’s death is considered the most significant blow to Tehran’s leadership since the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war in late February.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtchi responded by asserting that Tehran’s operational capabilities remain intact despite the loss of Laridschani and other senior officials. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he emphasized that the United States and Israel fail to understand that the Islamic Republic operates as a resilient political system, not dependent on individual figures, and that the state continues to function normally.
In Tehran, supporters of the government held public mourning ceremonies. State television footage showed crowds in the city center surrounding a semi-trailer carrying the coffins through the streets. Photos released by the FARS news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reportedly depict the coffins of Laridschani and his son, who was also killed in the Israeli strike. State media reported that citizens also mourned the death of the Basij commander and the crew of an Iranian warship previously sunk by the United States near Sri Lanka.
Russia condemned the targeted killings of Iran’s senior leadership. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Laridschani’s assassination as murder, stating that all actions aimed at killing or eliminating Iranian officials are unequivocally condemned.
In retaliation for Laridschani’s death, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched rockets targeting central Israel. Amir Hatami, head of Iran’s regular army, warned that the response to the assassination of the Supreme National Security Council chairman would be decisive. Israeli authorities reported that two people were killed in a rocket attack near Tel Aviv. Several areas in central Israel were hit by falling projectiles overnight. Police confirmed that a cluster bomb struck a residential building in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv. Both Israel and Iran accuse each other of using cluster munitions, which release hundreds of smaller bomblets capable of causing widespread destruction.
Official accounts of the war, attacks, and casualties from both sides cannot be independently verified. According to Iranian reports, U.S. and Israeli strikes continued in multiple regions, including Tehran, Lorestan province, Hamedan in western Iran, and Fars province in the south. The Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant was reportedly struck for the first time since the February 28 attacks began, though Moscow indicated no damage or radiation increase occurred. The strike hit a building near the reactor, prompting Russia to call it a blatant violation of core international safety rules.
Israel also extended its airstrikes to Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanese sources reported at least twelve fatalities and the destruction of a ten-story building near the city center. Earlier, Hezbollah had fired rockets, leading to casualties from the initial Israeli strikes that reportedly occurred without warning.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot urged de-escalation and warned of the conflict’s consequences for Europe. Wadephul emphasized the potential for global escalation, stating that the conflict could plunge not just the region but the entire world into crisis. He expressed skepticism regarding a peaceful power transition in Iran, noting that past foreign military interventions in countries like Iraq and Libya did not result in orderly regime change or democratic institutions.
Earlier we wrote that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles diagnosed with breast cancer: Trump adviser says she will continue working during treatment