Video: Crowds in Tehran cheer after reports of Ali Larijani’s death

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday its air defences intercepted 10 ballistic missiles and 45 drones launched from Iran.

The defence ministry said that since the start of Iranian attacks, its forces had engaged 314 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,672 drones.

The attacks have killed two members of the UAE armed forces and six civilians of various nationalities, the ministry said, adding that 157 people had been injured.

The ministry said it remained ready to respond to any threats and would act to protect the country’s security and stability.

Prince Reza Pahlavi on Tuesday urged Iranians to celebrate the Chaharshanbe Suri fire festival peacefully and warned security forces to stay off the streets.

Chaharshanbe Suri is an annual festival held ahead of the Persian New Year in which people gather and light fires in public spaces.

“I ask all of you to light the fire of peace and life in your streets and neighborhoods,” Pahlavi said, urging people to avoid “any tension, conflict or even approaching regime agents.”

He also issued a warning to security forces, saying: “People will celebrate Chaharshanbe Suri peacefully tonight. From 6 p.m., leave the streets, alleys and neighborhoods and do not stand against the people.”

“Let this night end in peace,” he added.

Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it had killed Iran’s de facto leader Ali Larijani in an overnight airstrike in Tehran.

Larijani, who served as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was targeted by the Israeli air force in the capital, the military said.

It described Larijani as having acted as Iran’s “de facto leader” following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the opening strikes of the war on Feb. 28.

The military said Larijani had led Iran’s political and security coordination and directed its international activities.

More people worldwide could face acute hunger if the Iran war continues through June, the World Food Program said on Tuesday.

WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told reporters in Geneva that an additional 45 million people are projected to be pushed into acute hunger by higher food, oil and shipping costs, taking the global total above the current record 319 million.

“This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record and it’s a terrible, terrible prospect,” Skau said.

“Already, before this war, we were in a perfect storm where hunger has never been as severe as now, in terms of numbers and how deep that hunger is,” he added.

Around 300 Basij commanders and field officials were killed in a wave of overnight strikes on key command and operational centers of Iran’s Basij forces, Iran International has learned.

The strikes appeared to hit the logistics and command structure of a force long used to suppress dissent and confront anti-government protests.

In one of the most critical attacks, a Basij support unit’s repair and maintenance center was hit. The site housed hundreds of vehicles and motorcycles used in street operations and neighborhood patrols. Initial reports said the fleet was destroyed.

Facilities linked to the Mohammad Rasoulollah Corps, the IRGC unit responsible for the greater Tehran area, were struck.

The Imam Hadi security unit, a strategic command center in Tehran, was also heavily damaged.

The Imam Ali security battalions, which have played a central role in cracking down on protests, also suffered heavy personnel and equipment losses.