Rabia Ali
18 March 2026•Update: 18 March 2026
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Wednesday, including the death of Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani in an Israeli strike, Israeli army launching new wave of attacks on southern Lebanon, and US saying it struck Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuz.
TOP STORIES
Iran confirmed Tuesday that Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an Israeli strike.
In a statement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Larijani "was martyred along with his son," his aide Reza Bayat, and several of his companions in the attack.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had killed Larijani in an airstrike near Tehran, claiming he was “eliminated” in what it described as a “precise strike.”
The Israeli army also described Larijani as “the de facto leader” of the Iranian regime, according to its statement.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday that the commander of the paramilitary Basij forces, Gholamreza Soleimani, was killed in a US-Israeli strike.
The Israeli army announced early Wednesday that it launched a new wave of attacks on southern Lebanon.
The strikes were carried out in line with evacuation orders issued earlier to residents in the city of Tyre and surrounding areas, it said in a statement.
Residents were urged to leave their homes and move north of the Zahrani River, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Lebanon-Israel border.
The army said the latest strikes targeted locations it alleges are used by the Hezbollah group.
It follows Israeli airstrikes early Wednesday on residential areas in central Beirut which killed six people and injured 24, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The US military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on Iranian missile sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz using heavy “deep penetrator” munitions.
"Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.
“The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait,” it added.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities on the strikes.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday stressed his country’s goal to bring an end to the “senseless, unlawful, and extremely wrong war in Iran as soon as possible.”
- Kuwait and the UAE announced early Wednesday that air defense systems intercepted drones and missiles launched from Iran.
- Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Al-Kharj governorate, south of the capital Riyadh.
- The Israeli army issued an evacuation order late Tuesday for residents of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, including nearby Palestinian refugee camps, ahead of possible strikes.
- Two Israelis were killed in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan from an Iranian missile strike early Wednesday, Israeli media reported.
- Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom on Tuesday condemned a strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, calling for de-escalation around the facility.
- The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Joseph Kent, resigned Tuesday, citing his opposition to the ongoing US war in Iran.
- A new drone attack targeted the US Embassy in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, amid ongoing regional escalation, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
- Germany's foreign minister on Tuesday rejected the idea of pursuing regime change in Iran and warned that any resulting chaos would harm the region and Europe.
- Cuba's leadership is incapable of fixing an islandwide power outage, and needs new leaders to do so, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
- US President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not supporting his war against Iran, calling it "a big mistake."
- More than 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon since March 2, according to the country’s Health Ministry on Tuesday.
- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is "resetting" his visit to China and it is expected to take place "in about five weeks."
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday reaffirmed the need for an end to the military escalation in the Middle East as Gulf countries continue to be hit.
- The World Food Program warned Tuesday that escalating conflict in the Middle East could drive global hunger to record levels, with millions more at risk.
- Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived in Doha on a visit to Qatar on Tuesday, as regional escalation continues to rage amid the ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks by Tehran.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Jet fuel prices surge nearly 83% in a month, piling pressure on airlines: IATA
Global average jet fuel prices have surged 82.8% over the past month, sharply increasing cost pressures on airlines, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest fuel price monitor.
IATA data showed jet fuel prices rose 11.2% week-on-week to $175 per barrel in the latest reporting period. The figures, published under license from S&P Global Energy, reflect average refinery prices for aviation fuel.
- 15 vessels traffic Strait of Hormuz in last 3 days
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained limited, with 15 vessels transiting the waterway in the last three days, according to data from real-time vessel tracking platform MarineTraffic.
But shipping activity in the Strait of Hormuz continues to be constrained.
Fifteen vessels were identified as having passed through the strait in the past three days, including eight bulk carriers, five tankers, and two LPG carriers.
