An Emirates flight prepares for landing as smoke billows from a fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16, 2026.
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Israel’s defense minister said a targeted strike in Tehran on Tuesday killed Gholamreza Soleimani, the top commander of Iran’s Basij forces, one of Iran’s regime’s top decision-making bodies, according to Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
The Israeli military said Soleimani oversaw the Basij units, which played a key role in the crackdown on recent protests, and described his killing as a “significant blow” to Iran’s security command structure.
Meanwhile, European leaders again rejected President Trump’s demand for naval assistance to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the leaders of the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy indicating on Monday that they would not send ships to the strategic waterway.
The rejection came as the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK issued a joint statement warning of escalating violence between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and calling for an immediate de-escalation.
Overnight, Israel reported continued operations in Lebanon and Iran, while the US embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, according to the Iraqi government. Missiles were fired in Abu Dhabi and a tanker was hit in Oman.
Health officials have reported that 1,300 have died in Iran, 886 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel since the fighting began on February 28. US Central Command said 13 US service members were killed and approximately 200 soldiers were wounded.
Here is the latest.
Israel says it has killed two top Iranian leaders in Tehran
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel killed two senior Iranian officials: Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, public policy adviser to the Supreme Leader and commander of Iran’s paramilitary Basij forces.
Katz described the assassination of the two Iranian leaders as part of an ongoing effort to eliminate key regime figures.
Iran did not immediately confirm the killings, but it was the highest-level killing in Iran since Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leadership on the first day of the war.
Basij forces were responsible for the violent suppression of street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year.
Katz said the military will continue to target Iranian government figures.
– Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Daniel Estrin and Rebecca Rossman
Western leaders warn against ground invasion in Lebanon
In a joint statement, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the UK warned that a significant Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon could have “catastrophic humanitarian consequences” and risk a protracted conflict. He called for an immediate escalation and urged Israeli and Lebanese representatives to engage meaningfully toward a political solution.
The warning comes as Israel intensifies its operations against Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Israel’s military issued a new evacuation warning to residents of the village of Arab al-Jal, telling people to leave a specific building and adjacent structures ahead of what it said was an imminent strike on Hezbollah infrastructure.
The warning is the latest in a pattern of pre-strike warnings as Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah sites across Lebanon as it tries to limit civilian casualties.
Israel’s invasion of Lebanon has killed 886 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government’s disaster management office.
– Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Rebecca Roseman
Europe rejects Trump’s call for help in Strait of Hormuz
EU foreign ministers rejected President Trump’s call for help opening the Strait of Hormuz, saying there was “no appetite” among member states, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
This stance came in an interview given to Trump Financial TimesIt warned that “it will be very bad for the future of NATO” if countries fail to police the strait.
“I’m urging these countries to defend their territory, because it’s their territory,” Trump said Sunday on Air Force One.
“Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I told them: we will remember,” he said.
But foreign countries have reacted cautiously, with several outright rejecting Trump’s request.
UK Prime Minister Keir Stormer rejected Trump’s demands, telling reporters on Monday that he was working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it would not be a NATO mission.
“While taking the necessary steps to protect ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into a wider war,” he said.
Germany sees no role for NATO in policing the Straits.
“As long as this war continues, there will be no intervention, not even an option to keep the Strait of Hormuz free from military means,” Stephan Cornelius, a spokesman for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said in Berlin on Monday.
“This is not our war, we did not start it,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Monday. We want diplomatic solutions and a quick end.
Spain and Italy also said they would not send ships into the strait.
The US Embassy in Baghdad was targeted again
The US embassy in Baghdad, along with an iconic hotel and an oil field, have come under attack again, the Iraqi government said on Tuesday, amid continuing exchanges between the US military in Iraq and Iran-backed militias.
A drone crashed into Baghdad’s Rashid Hotel, used by Iraqi officials and visiting foreign delegations, causing some damage but no casualties, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.
Pakistani national killed by shrapnel after tanker collides near Fujairah, UAE
An unidentified projectile struck a tanker near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, causing minor structural damage, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center reported. Officials said investigations were underway and vessels were advised to proceed with caution.
In Abu Dhabi, a Pakistani national was killed after being hit by shrapnel during the interception of a ballistic missile, officials said.
Daniel Estrin contributed to this report in Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Beirut and Rebecca Rossman in Paris.
