Israel has said it carried out overnight airstrikes that killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, alongside Gholamreza Soleimani, in what it described as a targeted operation.
Speaking on Tuesday, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said both men had been eliminated, using incendiary language to underline the gravity of the strikes. Iran has not publicly confirmed the deaths.
The claim follows a high-profile appearance by Larijani last Friday at a Quds Day rally in Tehran, where he marched with thousands of supporters and criticised the United States (US) president Donald Trump during a live interview.
Separately, regional tensions intensified after an Iranian drone struck a key oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, triggering a second fire in as many days at the Fujairah complex.
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Oil loading operations had been temporarily suspended on Monday after an earlier blaze.
Authorities said emergency services were deployed swiftly. “Civil defence teams from the emirate intervened immediately on site and are continuing their efforts to bring the situation under control,” the UAE said in a statement posted on X.
Further details also emerged about a tanker incident near Fujairah where the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an unidentified projectile caused minor structural damage to a vessel close to the port, with no injuries recorded.
Tags: #MiddleEast #IsraelIran #GulfSecurity #OilMarkets #Fujairah #Geopolitics