Iran has launched deadly cluster missiles at central Israel in what it described as “revenge” for the assassination of its security chief, Ali Larijani, as the war involving the United States and Israel against Iran enters its third week.
The overnight attack on Tuesday targeted the Ramat Gan area near Tel Aviv, killing two people and injuring several others, while causing significant property damage, including at a Tel Aviv train station, Israeli media reported.
In a statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attack exacted “revenge for the blood of martyr Dr. Ali Larijani and his companions.”
Iran is scheduled to hold funerals on Wednesday for Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, who were both killed in Israeli air strikes.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, described the attack as a “difficult night” in Israel. She said the incoming cluster munitions caused “a lot of alarm” and noted that the two people killed – a couple in their 70s – had a safe room in their home but were unable to reach it in time. She added that this raised concerns about whether Israel’s air-raid sirens were sounding quickly enough for people to react.
Iran followed up with another wave of missile strikes on central Israel on Wednesday morning. At the same time, Iranian authorities executed a man accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that a projectile hit the premises of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on Tuesday, but said there was no damage to the facility or injuries.
Israel’s killing of Larijani was the highest-profile assassination since it targeted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the war. In addition to Larijani, Soleimani was also killed.
Iran has insisted that its political system remains resilient. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera: “I do not know why the Americans and the Israelis still have not understood this point: The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic and social institutions. The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure.”
Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, said the killings of multiple leaders were creating fear and uncertainty. “The US president just a few days ago said we don’t know who remains to talk to. It’s a very confusing situation, one that can lead into any direction,” Vall said.
