Iran strikes Tel Aviv with cluster warheads in retaliation for killing of security chief
The attack on densely populated Tel Aviv overnight yesterday (17 March) killed two people, bringing the death toll in Israel from the war to at least 14
Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles carrying cluster warheads in what it said was retaliation for Israel's assassination of Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, Iranian state television reported today (18 March).
Israel has said that Iran has repeatedly used cluster warheads, which disperse into multiple smaller explosives mid-air and spread over a wide area, making them difficult to intercept.
The attack on densely populated Tel Aviv overnight yesterday (17 March) killed two people, bringing the death toll in Israel from the war to at least 14.
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In Iran, a projectile hit an area near the Bushehr nuclear power plant yesterday (17 March) evening, however, it caused no damage or injuries, Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reiterated his call for maximum restraint during the conflict to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.
Israel and the US have said preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapons programme was one of the goals of the attacks they launched more than two weeks ago, which killed the country's supreme leader and many other top officials.
The Iranian government yesterday (17 March) confirmed the killing of Larijani, the most senior figure targeted since the US-Israeli war's first day, when an Israeli strike killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council, which Larijani led as secretary, said Larijani's son and his deputy, Alireza Bayat, were also killed in an Israeli attack on Monday night (16 March).
The targeted killings took place as the US-Israeli war on Iran shows no signs of de-escalation.
Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has rejected proposals conveyed to Iran's Foreign Ministry for reducing tensions or ceasefire with the United States, according to a senior Iranian official who asked not to be identified.
Khamenei, attending his first foreign-policy meeting since his appointment, said it was not the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation, according to the official.
