Iran holds funerals for Larijani and Basij head, as two killed in Israel in 'revenge strikes'

Iran mourned senior security figure Ali Larijani on Wednesday as a missile strike killed two people near Tel Aviv, with the war sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran continuing to spread across the Middle East.

Funerals for Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Basij chief Gholamreza Soleimani took place in Tehran, according to Iranian media.

Larijani is among the most prominent figures killed since the launch of US-Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February, which also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a wider regional war.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami said in a statement that "Iran’s response to the assassination of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council will be decisive and regrettable", adding that "his blood and the blood of the other martyrs will be avenged".

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched ballistic missiles at central Israel "in revenge" for Larijani's assassination and those killed alongside him.

On Wednesday, Israel claimed that Iran's security minister, Esmaeil Khatib, had been killed in a strike, the third major Iranian figure assassinated this week.

The judiciary said an Israeli attack targeted a facility in Larestan, in Fars province, killing and injuring a number of staff and civilians. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said the site "was targeted in an attack by the enemy", without providing further details.

In Israel, medics said two people were killed in an overnight Iranian missile barrage near the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, bringing the total number of deaths from such attacks since the war began to 14. Police said a residential building in Ramat Gan, just outside Tel Aviv, was hit, with initial assessments indicating the use of a cluster munition.

"The munition collapsed the roof in on an elderly couple that were in their room," police spokesman Dean Elsdunne said, adding that the victims had not entered a protected room when sirens sounded. 

The conflict continues to impact Gulf states on Wednesday, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE reporting incoming threats.

Saudi authorities said air defences shot down a drone approaching Riyadh's diplomatic quarter and intercepted a ballistic missile, with debris falling near Prince Sultan Air Base without causing damage.

In the UAE, air defences responded to a missile threat after residents in Dubai reported hearing a loud explosion, officials said.

Iran insists its strikes in the Gulf region are targeting US military assets, arguing that American forces have moved from bases into urban areas. Still, civilian infrastructure has been badly hit, with around 15 civilians killed.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged that regional populations had been affected but said responsibility lay with Washington for initiating the war.

He warned that the conflict’s consequences would extend globally: "the wave of global repercussions has not yet begun and will affect everyone, regardless of wealth, religion or race."

Amid the escalation, Saudi Arabia is set to host a meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh on Wednesday evening to discuss ways to contain the crisis.

The gathering is expected to include Gulf Cooperation Council states, other Arab League members and countries from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attending as part of a regional push to halt the war.