Iran Launches Major Missile and Drone Strikes Following Israeli Attack Killing Two Top Officials

Iran has suffered a major blow after two top officials were killed in an Israeli airstrike, prompting Tehran to launch extensive missile and drone attacks on Wednesday in response. Reports indicate that Ali Larijani and Gholam Reza Soleimani were killed in the Israeli action. Larijani was the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, while Soleimani was the head of the Basij. Both were considered significant and influential figures in the Iranian regime.

Earlier, Iran's leadership had sustained a major shock following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict. In retaliation, Iran used multi-warhead missiles, striking areas around Tel Aviv. Israeli health services reported two deaths in the Ramat Gan area during this exchange. Furthermore, Iran also launched missiles and drones towards Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which were reportedly intercepted by those nations' air defense systems. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated it used multi-warhead missiles such as Khorramshahr-4 and Qader. They claimed these missiles have the capability to cause greater damage by detonating multiple warheads simultaneously and evading air defense systems.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it struck Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with 5,000-pound bunker buster bombs. Donald Trump called on allied nations for assistance in securing the area, but many countries declined. Concerns about a global energy crisis are mounting due to Iran's insistence on maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz, as a large volume of the world's oil supply passes through this route. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that these attacks are aimed at weakening the Iranian regime.