Iran Hits Tel Aviv with Cluster Missiles!

Tel Aviv residents awoke to chaos Wednesday after Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles packed with cluster warheads on Israel’s bustling heartland, avenging the assassination of its top security chief, Ali Larijani.

Iranian state television aired footage of the overnight assault on Tuesday, which claimed two lives in a neighborhood hugging Tel Aviv’s dense urban core and vital military hubs. This pushes Israel’s war death toll to at least 15, per updated Israeli Defense Forces reports, as the conflict rages into its third week.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boasted on air that its arsenal featured Khorramshahr-4 and Qadr missiles—both boasting multi-warhead clusters that splinter mid-flight into deadly submunitions, evading defenses and blanketing wide zones. Israel has long accused Iran of stockpiling these controversial weapons, banned by many nations for their indiscriminate carnage.

In a tit-for-tat twist, Iran reported a projectile slamming near its Bushehr nuclear plant Tuesday evening. No casualties or damage ensued, Tehran assured the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Agency head Rafael Grossi urged “maximum restraint” to avert a nuclear mishap in the powder keg.

This volley follows Israel’s pinpoint strike Monday that felled Larijani—secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council—alongside his son and deputy Alireza Bayat. It caps a grisly tally since the US-Israel offensive kicked off a fortnight ago, vaporizing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on day one and decapitating Tehran’s elite.

New supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the slain ayatollah, slammed the door on ceasefire overtures relayed via Iran’s Foreign Ministry. “No peace until America and Israel kneel, admit defeat, and pay reparations,” he declared in his debut policy huddle, per a senior official speaking anonymously. Whether Mojtaba joined virtually or in person remains unclear—he’s yet to surface publicly since last week’s ascension.

Tehran ratcheted up domestic pressure too, hanging spy Kurosh Keyvani Wednesday for feeding Mossad photos and intel on sensitive sites, state media Mizan reported.

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The flames spread regionally: Qatar’s energy infrastructure reeled from Iranian strikes, spiking global oil 10% and drawing US President Trump’s stern warning. In Lebanon, Israeli jets pummeled Beirut’s central Bachoura district Wednesday after evacuation alerts, part of a sweeping campaign against Iran-proxy Hezbollah in the capital, south, and east.

China decried Larijani’s killing as “unacceptable,” while world markets jittered over nuclear risks and supply shocks. With no de-escalation in sight, Mojtaba’s hardline vows signal a protracted showdown.