“In a precise strike in Tehran: The IDF eliminated the Commander of the Basij Unit,” the Israeli military said in a statement, adding that Soleimani had led the Basij for the past six years.

It said the operation was carried out by the Israeli Air Force based on intelligence.Israeli media reported that Larijani, a senior figure in Iran’s political and security establishment, was also targeted for assassination, though no confirmation on his status was immediately available.

The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force operating under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has played a central role in enforcing internal security.

Israel’s military said the Basij had led “main repression operations” during recent mass protests in Iran, which it cited as part of the rationale for the strike.

Iran experienced widespread unrest that peaked in January, with demonstrations challenging the clerical establishment. According to rights groups, the crackdown that followed resulted in thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests.

The Israeli military said the strikes were part of broader operations that yielded “significant preventive achievements overnight,” quoting Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.

The targeting of senior Iranian figures in Tehran, if confirmed, would mark a notable escalation in Israel’s operations, extending beyond regional proxy engagements into direct action within Iran’s capital.

There was no immediate response from Iranian authorities regarding the reported strikes or casualties.

The conflict, now entering its third week, has shut down shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes, sending oil prices higher and raising fears of renewed global inflation.

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the military had detailed operational plans covering at least the next three weeks, with additional scenarios prepared for a longer campaign.

“We want to make sure that they are as weak as possible, this regime, and that we degrade all their capabilities, all parts and all wings of their security establishment,” Shoshani told reporters.

The Israeli military has framed the campaign as focused on degrading Iran’s ballistic missile infrastructure, nuclear facilities and broader security apparatus. Officials say thousands of potential targets remain inside Iran.

Iran launched drone attacks targeting regional sites, temporarily shutting down Dubai airport and striking a key oil facility in the United Arab Emirates, according to reports cited by regional authorities.

The incidents underscored the widening regional impact of the conflict, which has drawn concern from energy markets and governments reliant on Gulf shipping lanes.

Air traffic at Dubai airport was briefly halted following the drone threat before operations resumed.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the most significant economic consequences of the war.

The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman handles roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making it one of the most strategically important energy chokepoints in the world.

The disruption has already pushed oil prices upward and intensified concerns among policymakers about inflationary pressure on global economies.

U.S. President Donald Trump called on Sunday for an international coalition to help reopen the shipping route, warning that the NATO alliance could face a “very bad” future if members fail to support Washington’s efforts.

Allies responded cautiously, expressing support for diplomatic initiatives to restore navigation through the Strait while signaling reluctance to commit to military action.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran had not requested a ceasefire and had exchanged no messages with Washington, according to Iran’s semi-official Student News Network.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that overnight Israeli strikes killed five people and wounded seven others in Markazi province in central Iran. The report said attacks struck a residential area on the outskirts of Arak city and a residential building in Mahallat county.

Israel has said its campaign remains focused on military and strategic infrastructure linked to Iran’s security apparatus.

The Israeli military said it struck the Zrarieh Bridge spanning the Litani River early on Friday, asserting that the crossing was being used by Hezbollah fighters to move between northern and southern parts of Lebanon.

The military did not provide evidence for the claim.The strike appeared to be the first instance in the current conflict in which Israel publicly acknowledged targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Lebanon would face increasing consequences unless Hezbollah was disarmed.

“The Lebanese government will pay increasing costs through damage to infrastructure and loss of territory,” Katz told senior military officers during a briefing, according to a statement from his office.

Israeli troops have been pushing deeper into southern Lebanon as part of the military campaign, while air strikes have continued to hit districts in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Lebanese officials say the expanding conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

Lebanon’s interior minister said authorities were struggling to accommodate the influx of civilians seeking refuge in Beirut, where many displaced residents have gathered after fleeing combat zones in the south.

The minister said government resources were insufficient to manage the scale of displacement, with large numbers of people arriving in the capital in recent days.

Lebanese authorities estimate that around 800,000 people have been forced from their homes since the fighting intensified.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said the Lebanese population had been drawn into a broader regional conflict.

Speaking about the humanitarian impact of the fighting, Guterres said the Lebanese people had been “dragged into” the war as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah expanded.

The escalation in Lebanon is unfolding as the wider regional conflict continues to intensify, raising concerns among international officials about the growing humanitarian and security consequences across the Middle East.

The attack marked the first Israeli strike to hit the heart of Beirut since hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group resumed last week, widening the regional confrontation linked to the broader U.S.-Israel war with Iran.Israel’s military said the strike targeted key commanders belonging to the Lebanon Corps of Iran’s elite Quds Force, a unit within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), although it did not identify the individuals it believed were present at the site.“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Strike hits central Beirut building.The strike struck an apartment within the Ramada hotel complex located in central Beirut, an area that had not been targeted since fighting resumed between Israel and Hezbollah.The building was housing displaced civilians who had fled fighting in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas that have experienced repeated Israeli air strikes during the past week.Following the attack, witnesses said people were seen leaving the hotel amid concerns that additional strikes could follow.There was no immediate confirmation from Lebanese authorities regarding the identities of those killed or whether the victims included the Iranian commanders Israel said it had targeted.

Israel said the operation was aimed at disrupting activities by Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon. The Quds Force oversees Iran’s foreign military operations and maintains close ties with allied groups across the region, including Hezbollah.The Israeli military has intensified strikes against Iranian-linked targets as the regional conflict expands.Last week, Israel said it had killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon, during a strike in Tehran. Israel said he had been involved in coordinating military activities linked to Iranian operations in the region.Lebanon drawn deeper into conflictLebanon has increasingly been pulled into the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran.The latest phase of hostilities intensified on Monday when Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into Israel, according to Israeli officials. Hezbollah is backed by Iran and has been one of Tehran’s key regional allies.Israel responded with a wave of strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as locations near Beirut.The fighting has raised concerns about a broader regional escalation as the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iranian targets continues and allied armed groups across the Middle East become increasingly involved.The strike in central Beirut underscores the expanding geographic scope of the conflict and the growing risk that urban centres beyond traditional front lines could become targets as the confrontation deepens.