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An Iranian missile attack hit a residential area near Tel Aviv early Wednesday, killing two elderly civilians in Ramat Gan, just east of the city, in retaliation for Israel’s targeted killing of Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani.
The victims, a man and a woman in their 70s, were unable to reach their safe room before the missile struck. The attack also damaged a nearby train station, disrupted rail services, and injured several others.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strike used multiple-warhead cluster missiles “in revenge for the blood of martyr Dr. Ali Larijani and his companions,” according to state media.
Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Soleimani were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation successfully eliminated both high-ranking officials.
These assassinations are the most prominent since US-Israeli strikes reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
Iranian leaders have vowed further retaliation. Army Chief Amir Hatami described the response as “decisive and regrettable,” while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the global consequences of the conflict “will hit all.”
In addition to strikes on Israel, Iran reported a projectile near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, though no damage or injuries were reported. Israeli air defenses intercepted most missiles, but at least one barrage reached central Israel, triggering explosions and sirens in the Tel Aviv region and areas near the Sea of Galilee.
The fatalities bring the number of Israeli civilians killed in Iranian strikes since late February to at least 14. Funerals for Larijani and Soleimani are scheduled for Wednesday in Tehran.
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