Israel claims killing of two senior Iranian officials

Israel says it killed Basij commander Gholamrez Soleimani and National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani in yesterdayʼs attacks.

IDF says Soleimani was killed in yesterdayʼs attack. He led the Basij, a paramilitary organization made up of volunteers and serving as a popular militia for six years, forcibly dispersing demonstrations in Iran, Israel says.

The Defense Minister Israel Katz reported the assassination of Larijani. Larijani was the right-hand man of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He was responsible for negotiations on key national security issues, including the nuclear program.

War in the Middle East

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials. A new ayatollah was elected on March 8, and he was Mojtaba Khamenei (the son of the deceased Ali Khamenei).

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, has begun shelling US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE and firing missiles at Israel. Some Iranian drones and missiles have hit infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries.

The conflict has brought tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, to a near standstill. About a fifth of the world’s oil exports pass through it — tens of millions of barrels a day. Oil, gas, and precious metals have skyrocketed in price.

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