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Israel says it killed two top Iranian commanders in targeted strike

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By NPR Staff An Emirates aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Monday.
− AFP via Getty Images hide caption Israel's military said Tuesday it carried out a targeted strike in Tehran that killed Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, who led a paramilitary militia that plays a strong role in domestic security.
+ AFP via Getty Images hide caption Israel said it killed two top Iranian security officials, Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani.
The head of the U.S.
− National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he "cannot in good conscience" back the Trump administration's war in Iran.
+ National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, became the first senior Trump administration official to resign over the war with Iran.
− And European leaders again rejected President Trump's demand for naval assistance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been largely chocked off by Iranian retaliatory attacks and threats.
+ President Trump said NATO countries are "making a very foolish mistake" after they declined to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade passage that's been closed off by Iranian retaliatory attacks and threats.
Overnight, Israel reported continued operations in Lebanon and Iran, while the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, according to the Iraqi government. Projectiles were fired in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and a tanker was struck in Oman.
− Health authorities have reported about 1,300 killed in Iran, 886 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel since the start of the war on Feb.
+ Health authorities have reported about 1,300 killed in Iran, 912 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel since the start of the war on Feb.
28.
− The U.S.
+ U.S.
Central Command has said 13 U.S. service members have been killed and roughly 200 troops wounded.
− Here are more updates on the situation in the Middle East.
+ Here are updates on the situation in the Middle East.
− To jump to a specific coverage topic, click on the links below: Top Iranian officials killed | Lebanon war| Europe's response to Trump | U.S.
+ To jump to a specific coverage topic, click on the links below: Trump official quit | Top Iranian officials killed | Lebanon war| Europe's response to Trump | U.S.
− Embassy in Baghdad | Strikes across the Gulf Israel says it killed two senior Iranian officials: Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and public policy adviser to the supreme leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's paramilitary Basij forces.
+ Embassy in Baghdad | Strikes across the Gulf National Security Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official, resigns citing Iran war Joe Kent announced his resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday citing his objection to the Trump administration's war with Iran. He is the first senior official to quit over the war.
+ "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent wrote in a social media post, where he attached his resignation letter. After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr President Trump reacted to the news, saying in the Oval Office he thought Kent was "very weak on security" and insisting "Iran was a tremendous threat." Israel says it killed two senior Iranian officials: Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and public policy adviser to the supreme leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's paramilitary Basij forces.
Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, described the killings as part of an ongoing effort to eliminate the regime's main figures. Iran did not immediately confirm the killings, but these would be the highest-profile assassinations in Iran since Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leadership on the first day of the war. The Basij forces are a volunteer paramilitary militia, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which Israel says was responsible for violently suppressing street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year. Katz said the military would continue to target Iranian government figures.
− — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Daniel Estrin and Rebecca Rosman In a joint statement, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
+ In a joint statement, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
warned that a significant Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon could have "devastating humanitarian consequences" and risk a protracted conflict. They called for immediate de-escalation and urged meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives toward a political solution. The warning came as Israel deepened its operations against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. On Tuesday, Israel's military issued a fresh evacuation warning for residents in the village of Arab al-Jal, telling people to leave a specific building and adjacent structures ahead of what it said would be an imminent strike on Hezbollah infrastructure. The warning is the latest in a pattern of pre-strike notices as Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah sites across Lebanon while trying to limit civilian casualties. Israel's assault in Lebanon has killed 886 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government's disaster management office.
− — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Rebecca Rosman EU foreign ministers rejected President Trump's call for help to open the Strait of Hormuz, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying there was "no appetite" among member states.
+ European Union countries have largely rebuffed President Trump's call for help to open the Strait of Hormuz, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying there was "no appetite" among member states.
− The stance comes after Trump, in an interview with the Financial Times, warned that "it will be very bad for the future of NATO" if countries fail to police the strait.
+ President Trump expressed his disappointment.
− "I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory," Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.
+ "The United States has been informed by most of our NATO 'Allies' that they don't want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon," he wrote on Truth Social. He added that the U.S. did not need or desire their assistance anyway.
− "Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I said it to them: We will remember," he said.
+ Trump later told reporters NATO is "making a very foolish mistake." Several European officials made their objection clear.
− But foreign nations have reacted cautiously, with several outright rejecting Trump's request.
U.K.
− Prime Minister Keir Starmer rebuffed Trump's demands, telling reporters on Monday he is working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it won't be a NATO mission.
+ Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "we will not be drawn into the wider war." German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said "It's not our war, we didn't start it." Spain and Italy also said they would not send ships to police the strait.
− "While taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war," he said.
+ Estonia, an EU and NATO member, was one of the few to express a willingness to consider the request. "We are always ready to hold discussions with the United States, including now in connection with the situation in the Strait of Hormuz," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
− Germany also sees no role for NATO in policing the strait.
+ President Trump has previously mentioned several other countries including China, South Korea and Japan he believed should help secure the strait.
− "As long as this war continues, there will be no involvement, not even in an option to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said in Berlin on Monday. "It's not our war, we didn't start it," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Monday.
+ South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said that any deployment of the nation's warships to the Middle East would require parliamentary approval.
− We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end." Spain and Italy also said they would not send ships to the strait.
+ He told a parliamentary defense committee that his ministry has not received any official requests to send warships, and he doesn't consider Trump's social media posts an official request.
+ Earlier this week China said it was in communication with different parties in the conflict to de-escalate the situation, but did not say it would send ships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. And Japan's government had not made a decision about sending ships, as it needed to assess if that could be done within the country's strict legal limits on overseas military deployments.
The Iraqi government said Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, along with an iconic hotel and oil field, amid continued exchanges between the U.S. military and Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The Iraqi interior ministry said a drone hit Baghdad's Rasheed Hotel, used by Iraqi officials and visiting foreign delegations, causing some damage but no casualties. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a tanker near Fujairah, located on the Gulf of Oman, was struck by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday, causing minor structural damage. Authorities said they were investigating, and ships were advised to transit with caution. In Abu Dhabi, authorities said a Pakistani national was killed after shrapnel fell during the interception of a ballistic missile.
− Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Beirut and Rebecca Rosman from Paris.
+ Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Beirut, Rebecca Rosman from Paris, Alex Leff from Washington.
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