Iran Retaliates for Larijani Assassination with Deadly Cluster Missile Strike on Israel
The Iran war escalated dramatically overnight as Tehran launched missiles armed with cluster warheads at Tel Aviv in what the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) called direct retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani. The attack killed at least two people — an elderly couple in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan — and injured dozens more as submunitions scattered across residential neighborhoods.
Iranian state television confirmed the strikes early Wednesday morning, with the IRGC declaring the attack was carried out “to avenge the blood of Larijani.” Cluster munitions, which disperse into multiple smaller bomblets across a wide area, are notoriously difficult for air defense systems like Israel’s Iron Dome to fully intercept, making them one of the most feared weapons in Iran’s arsenal.
Missiles launched from Iran were visible streaking across the sky over central Israel early Wednesday, March 18, with air raid sirens sounding across Tel Aviv, Netanya, and surrounding communities. Israeli defense officials confirmed intercepting a significant number of the incoming projectiles, but acknowledged that some penetrated the country’s multi-layered missile shield.
The attack comes just hours after Israel claimed credit for killing both Larijani — Iran’s Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the country’s de facto wartime leader — and Basij militia commander Gholamreza Soleimani in separate strikes on Tehran. It marks the highest-profile assassinations of the conflict so far.
US Drops 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters on Iranian Missile Sites Near Strait of Hormuz
In a simultaneous escalation, the United States unleashed some of the most powerful conventional weapons in its arsenal on Iranian military positions threatening the critical Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday that American aircraft dropped multiple 5,000-pound guided deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s southern coastline near the strait. The strikes targeted anti-ship cruise missile installations that CENTCOM said “posed a direct risk” to international shipping.
The bunker busters — officially designated GBU-28 guided bombs — are designed to penetrate reinforced underground targets. At $288,000 each, they are among the costliest precision munitions deployed in Operation Epic Fury, though still far less powerful than the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) the U.S. used against Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier in the conflict.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that this new wave of strikes represents an escalation from neutralizing Iran’s immediate missile and drone threats to systematically dismantling the country’s “wider manufacturing apparatus” and defense industrial base. Cooper noted that U.S. forces have now targeted facilities as far east as South Khorasan Province — some of the deepest strikes into Iranian territory since the war began.
USS Gerald Ford Forced to Port After 30-Hour Fire
In a dramatic blow to the U.S. naval posture in the region, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford — the Navy’s newest and most advanced warship — is being pulled from active combat operations and sent to port after a fire raged on board for more than 30 hours.
The fire, which broke out aboard the nuclear-powered carrier while deployed in the Red Sea as part of Operation Epic Fury, displaced approximately 600 sailors and required extensive efforts to bring under control. The Navy says repairs are expected to take at least a week.
The Ford has been at sea for an extraordinary 261 consecutive days — approaching a record-long deployment. The crew was originally told they would be home by early February, before the Iran conflict erupted. The carrier transited the Suez Canal on March 5 to support combat operations, and its withdrawal now raises questions about the sustainability of the U.S. naval commitment in the region.
NPR reported the Ford has faced a cascade of problems including the fire, plumbing failures, and the grinding toll of a deployment that has pushed both crew and equipment to their limits.
Gulf States Under Fire — Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia Intercept More Iranian Missiles
The broader regional fallout continued to intensify as multiple Gulf states reported intercepting Iranian missiles and drones overnight. Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia all confirmed engaging incoming projectiles, underscoring how the conflict has expanded far beyond Iran and Israel.
The UAE briefly closed and then reopened its airspace after a drone struck a fuel tank near Dubai International Airport on March 16, causing a temporary suspension of flights. The strike sent plumes of smoke rising over one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs and briefly rattled global travel markets.
Gulf states are now reportedly pressing Washington to “finish the job” and permanently neutralize Iran’s ability to threaten the region. Reuters reported that Gulf leaders are urging the U.S. to dismantle Iran’s military infrastructure for good, citing the continued threat to oil shipping, commercial aviation, and civilian infrastructure across the Persian Gulf.
The War by the Numbers — Day 19
As Operation Epic Fury enters its 19th day, the human and financial costs continue to mount:
- 13 U.S. service members killed and more than 200 wounded, according to CENTCOM
- Over 1,348 Iranian civilians killed, according to Iran’s UN representative
- At least 206 children among the Iranian dead, per the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)
- Iran has fired over 500 ballistic and naval missiles and nearly 2,000 drones since the war began on February 28
- At least 21 confirmed attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz
- Estimated war cost: $16.5 billion at day 12, according to CSIS, and climbing rapidly
Joe Kent’s Resignation Reverberates Through Washington
The political shockwaves from the war continue on the home front. Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a Trump appointee, resigned Tuesday citing his opposition to the Iran war. In his resignation letter posted on X, Kent — a decorated Green Beret and Gold Star husband — wrote that he “cannot in good conscience” support the conflict, arguing that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
Kent’s departure is particularly stinging for the administration because he was one of its most prominent national security voices and a close ally of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. His resignation contradicts the administration’s stated justification for the war and has energized both anti-war Republicans and Democrats calling for an end to the conflict.
Meanwhile, President Trump dismissed offers of help from NATO allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that the U.S. does “not need or desire” their assistance. Trump also announced he would delay a planned visit to China because of the ongoing crisis.
What Comes Next
With Iran demonstrating it still has the capacity to strike Israel with increasingly sophisticated weapons — despite weeks of devastating U.S. and Israeli bombardment — the conflict shows no signs of winding down. The use of cluster warheads represents a significant escalation in the lethality of Iranian strikes, and the IRGC’s vow to continue avenging its fallen leaders suggests more retaliatory attacks are coming.
The withdrawal of the USS Gerald Ford, even temporarily, creates a gap in U.S. carrier coverage at a critical moment. And the continued disruption to the Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply transits — is keeping global energy prices elevated and raising fears of broader economic fallout.
Day 19 of Operation Epic Fury is far from over. And this war is far from finished.