We are ending today's live coverage of day 19 of the war in Iran, during which Tehran has fired retaliatory barrages early on Wednesday at Israel and its neighbouring countries, as it looks to avenge the IDF’s killing of two of its top security officials the day prior.
Israel announced on Tuesday that it eliminated the powerful Iranian security chief, Ali Larijani, and Gholam Reza Soleimani, who heads the all-volunteer Basij paramilitary unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps in overnight strikes on Tehran.
Iranian state media said that Israel attacked Iran's South Pars natural gas field — part of the world's largest such gas resource and a pillar of the country's energy supplies.
Facilities associated with the gas field near Asaluyeh on Iran's Gulf coastline were on fire on Wednesday, state media reported, and Iran vowed it would attack energy facilities in other Gulf countries in retaliation.
Iran retaliated Wednesday by unleashing attacks against Israel, where two people were killed near Tel Aviv. Iran also attacked Saudi Arabia’s vast Eastern Province, home to many of its oil fields, as well as Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Israel repeatedly struck central Beirut, with Lebanese authorities reporting a death toll of at least 12 including a director for Hezbollah's Al Manar TV channel, and destroyed two bridges in south Lebanon.
Israel said Wednesday it would target bridges crossing the Litani, "to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and weapons" to the frontlines, essentially cutting off a large part of the south from the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has hinted at a potential exit from NATO after the defence alliance ruled out deploying naval assets in his bid to assemble a global coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to address soaring energy costs. Brent crude continued to trade over $100 a barrel on Wednesday.
