‘Response will be...’: Iran’s army vows retaliation after Larijani's killing

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Wednesday (Mar 18) warned of a “decisive and regrettable” retaliation after the killing of security chief Ali Larijani. This comes after Iran’s top security body on Tuesday (Mar 17) confirmed the death of Larijani, one of the most influential figures of the country, in an Israeli air strike. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that they launched missiles at Israel “in revenge for the blood” of Larijani. Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force, was also killed in the strikes.

“Iran’s response to the assassination of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council will be decisive and regrettable,” Hatami said in a statement.

Larijani was the most prominent figure of the Islamic Republic killed since the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died in the first strikes launched by Israeli and the US forces on February 28. The operation was named ‘Epic Fury’ by the US and ‘Lion’s Roar’ by Israel. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and ongoing talks over Iran’s nuclear program. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Azerbaijan.

The Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic’s military force that is separate from the army, said in a statement that it had launched missiles at central Israel “in revenge for the blood of martyr Dr Ali Larijani and his companions.”

Following the strikes in Tel Aviv, two people were killed. The national railway company suspended operations due to shrapnel impact at a station in the city. According to authorities, falling munitions had struck several sites in central Israel in an overnight barrage of missiles. While Gulf nations intercepted missiles and drones headed for targets in the region.

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