Iran vows revenge for killing of security chief as US strikes target missile sites

Iran has vowed revenge following the killing of its powerful security chief Ali Larijani, as fighting between Israel and Iranian forces entered its 19th day.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami warned of "decisive and regrettable" action in response to Larijani's death, while Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the repercussions of the war "will hit all."

Araghchi also warned that any US ground presence would carry serious consequences, after Iran's deputy foreign minister described a potential US troop deployment as a "reckless" move, adding that Iran would fight for as long as was needed.

Asked about the warning, US President Donald Trump told the media he is "not really afraid of anything," adding that US forces are "not ready to leave yet" but will do so "in the near future."

Iran's foreign minister sought to reassure that the loss of Larijani would not weaken the country's political structure.

"I do not know why the Americans and the Israelis still have not understood this point: The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic, and social institutions," Araghchi said. "The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure."

Larijani, one of Iran's most senior security figures, was killed in an overnight Israeli strike on Monday. Iranian state media confirmed his death, as well as the killing of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Basij paramilitary force in a separate Israeli strike.

The killings marked a significant escalation in the conflict, which has seen Israel launch ground operations in Lebanon.

Fighting has continued across the wider region. In Lebanon, Israeli strikes on Beirut killed at least six people overnight and flattened a building in the city centre, as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah. Strikes also hit Tyre in the south of the country. UN peacekeepers from Ghana, part of the UNIFIL mission monitoring the demarcation line in southern Lebanon, were wounded after Israeli tank fire hit their position about two weeks ago.

Israel's military has since admitted the attack "was mistakenly carried out" after UNIFIL troops were misidentified, and expressed its apologies to Ghana and the United Nations.

Two people were killed in Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv, while Iran continued targeting other sites across the Middle East, including a drone attack on the US embassy in Baghdad.

In the Gulf, Dubai's air defences intercepted missiles over the city, with no injuries reported. Saudi Arabia shot down a drone heading towards its embassy district, and an Iranian projectile landed near an Australian military base in the United Arab Emirates, causing minor damage. The UAE said it has dealt with more than 2,000 missiles and drones since the start of the war.

The United States military said it has used "deep penetrator" bombs to strike Iranian missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran's parliamentary speaker said will not be reopened. The price of oil remains above the $100 mark.

Trump, who earlier warned that NATO faces a "very bad" future if allies do not help secure the strait, appeared to reverse course on Tuesday, saying the US does not need the alliance's help and "never did."

An Iranian nuclear power plant was also struck by a projectile overnight on Tuesday, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.