A plume of smoke rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport, in Dubai, March 16, 2026.
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Iran stepped up attacks on U.S. assets in the Middle East and Israel on Wednesday, apparently in retaliation for the assassination of the country’s security chief, Ali Larijani, overnight, as the weeks-long conflict shows no signs of abating.
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps would have said on Wednesday that its missiles had hit more than 100 military and security targets deep within Israeli territories as “revenge” for the killing of Larijani, his son and aide, citing Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.
The IRGC also said it launched a combined drone and missile attack in Tel Aviv and parts of central Israel. Two people were killed near Tel Aviv in an Iranian missile strike, Israeli emergency services said Wednesday morning.
Iran has also launched several explosive drones at the US embassy in Baghdad, triggering sirens with an explosion heard near the diplomatic complex, Reuters reported. Separately, Tehran also fired a projectile near an Australian air base in the United Arab Emirates, according to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – no personnel were injured.
Series of attacks comes after Israel killed Larijanithe head of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the leader of a powerful IRGC-aligned militia, in deadly airstrikes on Tuesday.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed the deaths of Larijani, along with his son Morteza Larijani and the head of his office, Alireza Bayat, as well as several guards, the Associated Press reported.
Hostilities have continued to spread across the Middle East since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with no sign of de-escalation. Booms were heard in Doha on Wednesday morning, according to Reuters.
BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said there would likely be “a disorderly escalation” given increased military action in the region. He also warned of the possibility that Tehran would also activate the Houthis, a A military organization based in Yemen and supported by Iranif its ability to launch attacks diminishes and if it wishes to further increase pressure on the United States
Such escalatory steps by Iran “would prevent Trump from declaring victory… encourage the United States and its allies to continue the campaign to dislodge the regime and eliminate the threat it poses once and for all,” analysts said.
The attacks have expanded to target Iran’s banking and financial infrastructure, a move that could spark protests and increase instability in the country. Last week, US and Israeli forces reportedly struck Sepah Bank’s digital security center — the bank had links with The Iranian army. This followed a cyberattack the day before which affected Sepah and Melli Bank.
US President Donald Trump has tried unsuccessfully in recent days to secure military help from other countries to restore oil tanker passage through the Strait of Hormuz that has been effectively closed by Iran, sending energy prices soaring. A fifth of the world’s oil passed through this strategic waterway before the conflict began.
In Iran, Tehran said a projectile hit the premises of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening, but no damage to the plant or injuries to staff were reported, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Directly targeting the critical energy chokepoint, U.S. forces on Tuesday dropped 5,000-pound bombs on Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. military.
Saudi Arabia is expected to host a consultative meeting of foreign ministers from a number of Arab and Muslim countries in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss the region’s ongoing conflict.
