Iran attacks Israel and Gulf countries after Israeli strike kills security chief

An explosion erupts from a building following an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon (Hussein Malla/AP)

Iran launched strikes towards Israel and neighbouring Gulf countries early on Wednesday, with explosions heard in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and interceptions reported in Saudi Arabia.

The attacks came hours after Iranian state media confirmed Israel’s military killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani in an overnight strike, as well as General Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force, known for its role in suppressing protests.

Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike struck an apartment building in Bachoura, central Beirut, completely flattening it as day broke.

Missiles launched from Iran streak across the sky over central Israel (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Two earlier strikes on residential apartments in other central Beirut neighbourhoods early on Wednesday killed at least six people and wounded 24 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Israeli strikes targeting central Beirut — far from the city’s southern suburbs, for which the army issued evacuation notices early in the war with Hezbollah — have become increasingly frequent in recent days, with or without prior warning.

The US-Israeli war with Iran has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, more than 900 in Lebanon and 14 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The US military said 13 US service members have been killed and about 200 wounded.