Israel claims to have killed Iran national security chief Larijani, paramilitary chief

Israel said Tuesday it had killed Iran's powerful national security chief, Ali Larijani, in what would be a huge blow to the Islamic republic as fresh strikes rocked the Middle East from Tehran to Baghdad.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Larijani was "eliminated last night", although this has not been confirmed by Iran.

Earlier Tuesday, Israel's military said Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed Monday in a strike on Tehran.

Reports of their deaths come less than three weeks after US-Israeli strikes on February 28 killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since 1989, triggering a war that has engulfed the region.

He was replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, whose whereabouts and health is the subject of much speculation. US President Donald Trump said Monday that "we don't know... if he's dead or not".

Hundreds of people have been killed and millions have been displaced because of the war, notably in Lebanon and Iran.

The conflict has also sent oil prices soaring, after Iran's attacks on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is key to the transit of crude and liquefied natural gas.

Oil prices rose more than five percent early Tuesday after several countries pushed back on Trump's demand they help protect shipping.

Meanwhile, Israel's military said on Tuesday it had killed the head of Iran's Basij paramilitary force in a strike, while Israeli media reported Tehran's national security chief was also targeted for assassination.

"In a precise strike in Tehran: The IDF eliminated the Commander of the Basij Unit," The Israeli military said.

"Yesterday (Monday), the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, targeted and eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past six years," it said.

The Basij, a volunteer force under Iran's Revolutionary Guards, "led the main repression operations" by the authorities during recent mass protests in Iran, the Israeli army said.

Iran was rocked by unprecedented protests against the clerical establishment that peaked in January.

They were met with a crackdown in which, according to rights groups, thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands arrested.

In separate reports, Israeli media also said the military had targeted Iran's powerful national security chief Ali Larijani in an overnight strike.

Public broadcaster Kan said that Larijani was the "target of an assassination attempt", while television station N12 reported the results of the strike were "still being reviewed".

There was no official confirmation from Israeli officials.

Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said "significant preventive achievements were recorded overnight" in a statement released earlier by the military.

And the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a photo of the premier on the phone, captioned: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders the elimination of senior figures in the Iranian regime."

Gulf capitals hit

There was no let-up in the relentless launching of drone and missile attacks by Iran on US-linked interests across Gulf region on Tuesday as President Donald Trump blasted Washington’s allies in committing any role to the war against Iran.

A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war.

An AFP journalist reported seeing black smoke rising after an explosion in the embassy complex, as well as air defences intercepting another drone.

The strikes came hours after air defences thwarted a rocket attack at the embassy and a drone sparked a fire at a luxury hotel frequented by foreign diplomats in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

Several explosions heard in Doha

Several explosions were heard in Doha on Tuesday, an AFP journalist said, a day after several blasts resounded across the Qatari capital.

Qatar, like several Gulf nations, has been targeted by drones and missiles in the last days as Tehran presses a retaliatory campaign over attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.

Missile debris kills one in Abu Dhabi

Falling shrapnel from an intercepted missile killed a Pakistani national in Abu Dhabi, the government media office said Tuesday.

The incident took place in the Bani Yas area "following the interception of a ballistic missile by air defences", the Abu Dhabi Media Office said.

Earlier, three explosions echoed across Dubai after a missile alert early on Tuesday, according to an AFP correspondent.

The blasts followed a mobile phone alert to residents to "immediately seek a safe place" over "potential missile threats".

Tanker struck near Oman

An "unknown projectile" struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, a UK maritime agency said Tuesday, noting there were no reported injuries.

"A Tanker has reported being struck by an unknown projectile whilst at anchor," UK Maritime Trade Operations said in a post on X.

"Minor structural damage reported. No injuries to crew."

200 US troops wounded

Around 200 US military personnel have been wounded in seven countries across the Middle East since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran, a US military spokesman said Monday.

"The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and more than 180 troops have already returned to duty," while "10 are categorized as seriously wounded," said Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command.

The injuries took place in countries around the region: Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Hawkins added.

The Pentagon had put the number of wounded at around 140 on March 10, while 13 US troops have been killed -- seven in attacks and six in a plane crash in Iraq.

Four die as Iraq house bombed

Iraq was drawn into the Middle East war after having long been a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran, with strikes targeting Iran-backed groups that have claimed daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region.

Meanwhile, a strike on a house in Baghdad killed four people early Tuesday, with initial reports suggesting that two of the dead were "Iranian advisors" to Tehran-backed groups, a security source told AFP.

Luxury hotel on fire in Baghdad

Iraq's interior ministry initially said that a "projectile" fell on the roof of the luxury al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, before clarifying that it was a drone. It did not specify whether the building itself was the target.

"The incident caused no casualties or material damage," it added.

A street leading to the hotel, which hosts diplomatic missions including the US embassy, was blocked by a large security deployment, with firefighters and ambulances present, according to an AFP correspondent.

Witnesses saw a fire break out on the roof of the hotel.

Shortly after the hotel incident, a loud blast was heard in Baghdad, as air defences were seen intercepting an attack over the US embassy, an AFP journalist said.

A security official told AFP "air defences thwarted an attack with four rockets" on the embassy.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said wars are decided on the battlefield, not on social media, in response to comments by US President Trump.

He also derided the US campaign name “Epic Fury” as better described as “Epic Fear”. pic.twitter.com/OAbQApfe4C

— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) March 17, 2026

- Fighters killed, oil attack -

Kataeb Hezbollah announced Monday "the martyrdom of Haj Abu Ali al-Askari", without providing any details on how and when he was killed.

A security official told AFP that "Abu Ali al-Askari is Abu Ali al-Amiri, the commander who was killed in a strike on Baghdad on Saturday".

Kataeb Hezbollah referred to Askari as the group's security chief. He was also the spokesperson in charge of issuing all key statements in the group's name.

Drone and rocket attacks have also targeted oil fields and facilities.

Earlier Monday, two drones targeted the southern Majnoon oil field -- which had already paused production -- with the oil ministry spokesperson saying that one of the drones had hit a telecommunications tower.

A security official said a second drone had targeted the offices of a US firm, operating at the site.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry also reported intercepting more than 60 drones since midnight on Monday in the east of the country.

Qatar said later that it was targeted by 14 missiles and a number of drones launched from Iran on Monday, adding that it intercepted all but one missile, which "landed in an uninhabited area without causing any losses".

Meanwhile, Bahrain said it has intercepted 350 Iranian missiles and drones since the start of the war.

Trump demands allies help

President Donald Trump demanded that US allies help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but European powers pushed back on a possible mission to reopen the vital waterway shut by Iran in response to US-Israeli attacks.

Trump criticised the lukewarm response to his call for world powers to send warships to escort tankers through the strait, which normally carries a fifth of global crude oil, demanding a more enthusiastic response.

Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50 percent as Iran attacks shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and launches waves of missile and drone strikes in the Gulf in retaliation for the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

Trump said he thought Britain and France would get involved in efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz -- but only reluctantly.

"We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm," Trump told reporters at a White House event.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was working with allies to craft a "viable" plan to reopen the strait, but ruled out a NATO mission, while Berlin also said it "has been clear at all times that this war is not a matter for NATO".

Japan, South Korea, Australia, Poland, Spain, Greece and Sweden also distanced themselves from any military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz.

EU foreign ministers discussed the war in Brussels on Monday but showed "no appetite" for extending their Red Sea naval mission to help reopen Hormuz, the bloc's top diplomat said.

Trump told The Financial Times on Sunday that it would be "very bad for the future of NATO" if the allies refused to help, and said Monday that he had asked to delay a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by a "month or so" over the issue.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there is no appetite to expand Europe’s naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz. She said the bloc is not part of the war but remains focused on restoring key energy and trade routes. pic.twitter.com/FzLzFLwOTa

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 17, 2026

- Israel strikes Tehran, Beirut -
Israel's army said Tuesday it had launched a "wide scale wave of strikes" in the Iranian capital Tehran and started striking Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

- Israel president chides Europe -
Israel's President Isaac Herzog told AFP that Europe should back his country's fight against Hezbollah, as Israeli forces carried out ground operations in Lebanon.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

"Europe should support any effort, any effort, to eradicate Hezbollah now," Herzog said.

- Netanyahu sends Nowruz wishes -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent wishes to Iranians for the coming Nowruz holidays, marking the Persian new year.

"This year this holiday has special meaning...I take this opportunity to wish you a happy Nowruz -- a year of freedom. A new beginning of hope to all of you," he added, referring to the holiday that will be celebrated Friday.

- Fire at major UAE oil field -
A drone strike caused a fire at a major oil field in the United Arab Emirates, authorities said, as Iran continued its drone and missile strikes across the Gulf.

Authorities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi said they were still responding to the fire at the Shah oil field, without reporting injuries.

- Hezbollah targets Israeli troops -
Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops and vehicles in at least three Lebanese border towns, after the Israeli army announced it had begun limited ground operations in Lebanon.

- Hezbollah targets Israeli city -
Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Monday targeting the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where Israeli first responders reported a man was wounded.

- 1 million displaced in Lebanon -
Lebanese authorities said more than one million people had registered as displaced since war erupted on March 2 between Israel and Hezbollah.

- Shrapnel falls on Jerusalem holy sites -
Israeli police said they found missile and interceptor fragments at holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, including areas near the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

"During the recent missile salvo fired from Iran toward Jerusalem, several intercepts occurred over the city," the police said.

- Merz: Israel's Lebanon ground offensive an 'error' -
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon was an "error" which would "further exacerbate the already highly tense humanitarian situation" in the country.

"We urgently call on our Israeli friends: Do not take this path -- it would be an error," Merz said.

Iran Guards say 10 'foreign spies' arrested

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday their forces had arrested 10 "foreign spies" as the war with Israel and the United States continued.

"Ten mercenary, treacherous elements were identified and arrested," the Guards intelligence organisation in the northeastern Razavi Khorasan province said, according to ISNA news agency, without identifying their nationalities.

The Guards said fours among them were gathering information "on sensitive sites and economic infrastructure" while others were linked to a "monarchist terrorist group."

China to provide humanitarian assistance to Iran, Mideast nations

China said on Tuesday it will provide humanitarian assistance to Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Lebanon, targeted in US and Israeli strikes in the now three-week conflict.

"China has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. It is hoped this will help alleviate the humanitarian plight faced by the local populations," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference.