Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, head of intelligence for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was reported killed Monday in an attack targeting him, Iranian state media said. Tehran’s authorities blamed the United States and Israel for the strike but did not specify the location; multiple airstrikes struck residential areas around Tehran in the early hours of Monday.
Cross-border strikes and casualties
Iran launched missiles into central Israel, striking several sites. Israeli emergency services reported casualties: in Petah Tikva a woman sustained a serious chest injury from shrapnel and was hospitalized at Beilinson; in Tel Aviv a man was slightly injured by glass shrapnel and taken to Ichilov Hospital. Magen David Adom released footage documenting damage to residential buildings, and Israel’s military cautioned that more missile alerts could follow. Rescuers in Haifa recovered two bodies from a residential building hit by an Iranian missile.
Escalation inside Iran
A series of airstrikes inside Iran, attributed to Israeli and U.S.-linked operations by local reports, killed more than 25 people, according to state and local sources. Strikes hit multiple cities including Tehran, Qom, Ahvaz, Bandar Lengeh, Karaj, Shiraz and Kong. An airstrike on a residential area of the Shiite holy city of Qom killed at least five people. Early strikes also damaged Sharif University of Technology — which Iranian media has linked to weapons-related work — and damaged nearby buildings and a natural gas distribution site. State media reported strikes in Bandar Lengeh and Kong killed at least six people and wounded 17; another strike in southeastern Tehran struck a home, killing at least three.
Regional exchanges and interceptions
Iranian state-affiliated Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said U.S. forces that had relocated to Kuwait’s Bubiyan island were targeted. The UAE reported that debris from an air-defense interception fell onto the Raneen Systems company in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi, injuring a Ghanaian national. UAE air defenses also engaged incoming ballistic missiles and drones, with interception sounds heard across the country. Authorities in Fujairah separately responded to a drone approach near a telecommunications building; no injuries were reported.
Political and diplomatic fallout
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf condemned what he called U.S. threats, accusing President Trump of following Israeli directives and warning of broader regional suffering if hostilities continued. The UAE’s Anwar Gargash said any settlement must guarantee continued use of the Strait of Hormuz and address Iran’s nuclear program, missiles and drones to prevent a more dangerous regional environment.
International moves and responses
South Korea plans to send at least five ships to Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port in coming weeks to open new oil transport routes through the Red Sea, with deployments beginning in mid-April and potential expansion based on contracts. Australia said its fuel shipments are secured well into May and that service-station shortages have eased. South Korea’s president urged a balanced approach to Middle East oil imports amid Hormuz disruptions. North Korea’s government, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, has not sent weapons or supplies to Iran since the conflict began and has reduced public expressions of support.
Casualties and other ground impacts
In Lebanon, Pierre Mouawad, an official with the Lebanese Forces party, and his wife were killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment building east of Beirut; another woman was killed and three people wounded, Lebanon’s health ministry reported. Iran also executed a man identified by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency as Ali Fahim on charges linked to the January protests.
Economy and markets
Oil prices traded choppily as markets weighed supply disruptions from the fighting. Brent crude rose modestly while U.S. West Texas Intermediate edged lower after prior-session gains; crude had spiked earlier following heightened U.S. threats. Asian markets saw rising oil prices, mixed equities and falling bonds as investors anticipated possible U.S. action against Iranian infrastructure. The dollar remained broadly steady amid hopes for a ceasefire.
Ceasefire diplomacy
Mediators from Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey circulated a draft proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to two Middle East officials who spoke to The Associated Press. Reports indicate continuing discussions among U.S., Iranian and regional mediators over terms that could lead to a more permanent end to the fighting.
Other developments
– Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, publicly stated that Israel had killed the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence chief.
– Explosions and low-flying jets were reported over Tehran as the capital was hit ahead of a U.S. deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
– Kuwait’s military said air-defense systems were responding to incoming missile and drone attacks; explosions heard were attributed to interception operations.
– The White House scheduled a briefing on a missing pilot’s rescue operation; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the U.S. mission and said Israel assisted.
The situation remains fluid, with military, diplomatic and economic repercussions unfolding across the region as ceasefire talks continue and leaders weigh next steps.
