Israel announced that it had killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani in an attack on Tehran, demonstrating Israel’s continued determination to pursue senior figures in the Iranian regime, including those seen as pragmatists like Larijani.
US President Donald Trump has criticized US allies for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed off following US and Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, a senior U.S. intelligence official appointed by President Trump announced on Tuesday that he was abruptly resigning from his post, citing concerns about the administration’s war with Iran.
Here’s what you need to know on day 18.
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Israel ‘eliminates’ Larijani: Iranian authorities confirmed on Tuesday that Iranian security chief Ali Larijani has died. Larijani is the highest-ranking Iranian official to be killed in the US-Israel-Iran war since former supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the conflict. Israel earlier said it had killed Larijani in a nighttime attack in Tehran late Monday. He has emerged as one of Iran’s most prominent figures in recent months, helping to quell the massive protests that swept the country in January. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said the military would “continue to hunt” the Iranian leadership, hinting at differences in the war objectives of the United States and Israel.
Killing of Basij leader: Immediately after Larijani’s death was announced, the Israeli military announced that it had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian militia Basij. The Basij operates like a military police force for the regime and helped quell protests earlier this year. The Israeli military said his death was a “serious blow to the regime’s security command and control structure.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) confirmed Soleimani’s killing, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
Baghdad targeted: The U.S. embassy and hotel in Baghdad were targeted by drones early Tuesday, with video released showing air defense forces engaging the projectiles near the embassy. A spokesman for Iraq’s supreme commander said the Majnoon oil field in southern Iraq was also attacked.
UAE attacks: The United Arab Emirates has temporarily closed its airspace after drone strikes caused two separate fires in the Fujairah oil and Shah gas fields. A tanker near the port of Fujairah was also hit by an “unknown projectile” late Monday, the British Maritime Authority said. The British Maritime Authority said it was the 21st vessel to report an accident in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman since the start of the war. One person was killed by falling debris from an intercepted missile in Abu Dhabi late Tuesday.
US Military: A US Navy warship believed to be carrying thousands of Marines and sailors to the Middle East is approaching the Strait of Malacca on its way to the region, maritime tracking data showed on Tuesday. Officials told CNN that the troops would be sent to the Middle East, but did not say specifically where they would be deployed or what they would be used for.
U.S. intelligence official resigns: Joe Kent, a senior U.S. intelligence official appointed by President Trump, announced on Tuesday that he would abruptly resign from his position, citing concerns about the administration’s war with Iran. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran poses no imminent threat to our country. It is clear that we started this war under pressure from Israel and its powerful US lobby,” Kent said in a resignation letter posted to X. Trump said Kent’s resignation was a “good thing” because he was “very weak on national security.”
Diplomatic stalemate: Iranian officials have contacted President Trump’s Middle East envoy to try to reopen diplomatic channels, but Trump has said he does not want to negotiate right now, two senior White House officials told CNN. One reason for this is that the Trump administration is not confident that Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “actually in command,” one of the officials said. Iran’s foreign minister has denied in recent days any contact with the presidential envoy, as White House officials have claimed.
‘Not a NATO war’: EU foreign ministers have decided against expanding naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Trump criticized allies for rejecting requests for help to reopen the vital waterway. But after repeatedly criticizing countries that do not provide immediate aid, President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that the United States no longer needs or wants NATO aid, saying, “We never helped!”
Trade Strike: Gunfights continue in the area. Two people have been killed in an Iranian ballistic missile attack in central Israel, emergency services officials said. Israel said it had launched a series of attacks on the Iranian capital, Tehran, while the Iranian Red Crescent said early Tuesday that rescue workers were working to rescue Tehran residents trapped under rubble. Israel also targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Alarm bells over Lebanon: Israel announced on Tuesday that it would continue its attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed one Lebanese soldier and injured four others, including at least one seriously, the Lebanese army said. Israel said it was “aware of the allegations” and that the case was under review. The Israeli military claims it is operating against Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army. More than 1 million people have been internally displaced in Lebanon and at least 850 have died since the latest conflict began, according to Lebanese authorities.
