Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Wednesday, expressing deep condolences over the assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, along with Larijani's son and Iranian officials.
In the statement on social media, Khamenei praised Larijani's visionary leadership and his "distinguished career" spanning nearly half a century. He noted that Larijani possessed extensive expertise across political, military, security, and administrative fields, playing a pivotal role at various levels of the Iranian establishment.
Khamenei strongly condemned the assassination, stating that the act exposed the "deep-seated animosity" of hostile forces. He asserted that such bloodshed would only serve to strengthen the Islamic Republic, and emphasized that those responsible would inevitably pay the price for their crimes.
The Supreme Leader also extended his sincere sympathies to the Larijani family.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued an emergency statement in the early morning on Thursday, announcing that it had launched heavy and reciprocal operations on oil and energy facilities related to the United States in the region.
Earlier on Wednesday, several Israeli media reported that the Israeli air force has struck Iran's major natural gas facility, located in Bushehr in the south of the country.
If the U.S.-Israeli strikes happen again, future attacks on their energy infrastructure will not stop until they are completely destroyed, the statement said.
Iran's supreme leader offers condolences on death of top security official Larijani, hinting at retaliation
Iran's supreme leader offers condolences on death of top security official Larijani, hinting at retaliation
An Israeli airstrike hit a Lebanese residential area in central Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and causing significant destruction.
The attack on the Al-Bashoora neighborhood was part of a deadly wave of overnight Israeli strikes that stretched from the Lebanese capital through the country's southern and eastern parts, which left at least 27 dead and an specified number wounded, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The strike caused extensive damage across the neighborhood, where a 10-storey building collapsed and many vehicles were wrecked.
Lebanon has been drawn into the Middle East conflict since March 2 when the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group launched rockets towards Israel, the first time that such attack has taken place since a ceasefire was declared in November 2024, in response to the joint United States-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has since become the deadliest front in the U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran embroiling the entire region.
As crews worked to clear slabs of concrete and debris of collapsed buildings in the attacked Al-Bashoora neighborhood, a resident condemned Israel for indiscriminately striking civilian targets.
"We were at the Abu al-Fadl cafe -- it's a well-known spot where we gather and stay up late -- when they warned the building's residents to evacuate. As usual, we took the women and children and moved them to a nearby building, where they spent the night. They claim it's a strike against Hezbollah, but there's no Hezbollah presence in this area. They say Hezbollah is hiding money there, but why would they put money here, especially after this area was already targeted in the 2024 war? They are lying," he told China Global Television Network (CGTN) in an interview in the vicinity of the smoldering ruins.
As of Wednesday, the intensifying Israeli strikes have killed nearly 970 people, wounded over 2,400 others, and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes across Lebanon, said the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
In the face of the deadly strikes, another resident of the Al-Bashoora neighborhood sent a defiant message to the U.S. and Israeli leaders.
"Our message to [U.S. President Donald] Trump is this: we will defeat you and we will defeat the West, because you will not be able to defeat us. The people of the South cannot be defeated, no matter how many fleets, tanks, and aircraft you bring. In the end, we are the rightful owners of this land, and we will defeat you. No colonizer has ever set foot here without us driving them out. They cannot remain on our land. Even if the entire U.S. fleet comes to Beirut, we will defeat them," he said.
Israeli airstrike kills at least 10 in central Beirut residential area
