Iranian strike kills elderly couple as Israel claims security chief Larijani dead
Tehran fires cluster munitions at central Israel after reported killing of Ali Larijani in Israeli strike
An elderly couple have been killed in central Israel after Iran launched missile strikes in retaliation for the reported killing of one of its most senior security figures, Ali Larijani.
The man and woman, both in their 70s, were found dead near the entrance to a protected room in their apartment building in Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv, after a missile carrying cluster munitions struck the area overnight.
Emergency responders said the pair had been only metres from safety when the blast tore through the building, causing extensive structural damage and shattering surrounding homes.
The attack came hours after Israel said it had killed Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in a targeted strike. The Israeli military said he had been a central figure in the regime and closely aligned with Iran’s leadership.
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said: “Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader, has been eliminated.
“Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation, adding that a separate strike had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, along with other senior officials.
“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight,” Katz said, claiming they had joined “all the eliminated members of the axis of evil”.
Iran has not confirmed Larijani’s death and has sought to cast doubts on the reports, circulating a handwritten statement attributed to him. However, the note was undated and did not directly address the claims that he had been killed.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its missile barrage on central Israel was carried out “in revenge for the blood of the martyr Dr Ali Larijani and his companions”.
Israeli officials said at least two missiles were launched, one of which was intercepted. The second struck the Tel Aviv area, dispersing smaller explosives across multiple locations – a hallmark of cluster munitions, which are banned under international conventions but not universally prohibited.
Colonel Olivier Rafowicz of the IDF told reporters at the scene: “The goal was to hit civilian centres.”
In addition to the fatalities in Ramat Gan, several people were lightly injured across central Israel, with damage reported in Bnei Brak, Petah Tikva and near Tel Aviv’s Savidor Central railway station, where part of the infrastructure was temporarily shut down.
The latest deaths bring the number of people killed in Iranian missile attacks on Israel since the escalation began late last month to 14, according to Israeli authorities.
The developments mark a sharp escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran, with Israeli strikes also reported in Beirut targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, and the United States confirming it had carried out attacks on Iranian missile positions near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s army chief has warned of further retaliation, describing future responses as “decisive and regrettable”, raising fears of a widening regional conflict.
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