Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister in the second strike on a top leadership figure in two days, and had authorised the military to target any senior Iranian official it can locate.
Israel also hit central Beirut, destroying apartment buildings in some of the most intense airstrikes on the Lebanese capital for decades, Israel’s other front in the war it launched with the United States against Iran.
“No one in Iran has immunity and everyone is in the crosshairs,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
“The Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and I have authorised the Israel Defense Forces to target any senior Iranian official for whom an intelligence and operational opportunity arises, without the need for additional approval.”
It appeared to be the first time Israel has publicly stated that it would let the military target enemy officials without seeking special permission from political leaders for missions. Katz did not say when the order had been given.
Iran retaliated for the killing of Larijani by firing missiles with multiple warheads at Israel, attacks which Israeli authorities said killed two people near Tel Aviv. Tehran said it fired overnight on Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba in Israel, and at U.S. bases in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the U.S. and Israel failed to understand that the Islamic Republic was a robust political system that did not depend on any single individual.
Nearly three weeks into the conflict, there is no sign of de-escalation. An unprecedented disruption to global energy supplies has raised the political stakes for U.S. President Donald Trump. Diesel prices in the United States rose above $5 a gallon for the first time since the 2022 inflation surge that eroded support for his predecessor Joe Biden.
