A Trump official quits over the Iran war, as Israel says it killed 2 Iranian commanders

Updated March 17, 2026 at 10:43 AM CDT

Israel said it killed two top Iranian security officials, Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani.

The head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, became the first senior Trump administration official to resign over the war with Iran.

Several European countries rejected President Trump's demand for naval assistance to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and South Korea said it hadn't actually received a request despite the president's social media comments.

Overnight, Israel reported continued operations in Lebanon and Iran, while the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, according to the Iraqi government. Projectiles were fired in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and a tanker was struck in Oman.

Health authorities have reported about 1,300 killed in Iran, 886 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel since the start of the war on Feb. 28. The U.S. Central Command has said 13 U.S. service members have been killed and roughly 200 troops wounded.

Here are more updates on the situation in the Middle East.

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Trump official quit | Top Iranian officials killed | Lebanon war| Europe's response to Trump | U.S. Embassy in Baghdad | Strikes across the Gulf

A top counterterrorism official quits over Iran war

Joe Kent announced his resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday citing his objection to the Trump administration's war with Iran. He is the first senior official to quit over the war.

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent wrote in a social media post, where he attached his resignation letter.

Israel says it killed two top Iranian leaders in Tehran

Israel says it killed two senior Iranian officials: Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and public policy adviser to the supreme leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's paramilitary Basij forces.

Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, described the killings as part of an ongoing effort to eliminate the regime's main figures.

Iran did not immediately confirm the killings, but these would be the highest-profile assassinations in Iran since Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leadership on the first day of the war.

The Basij forces are a volunteer paramilitary militia, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which Israel says was responsible for violently suppressing street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year.

Katz said the military would continue to target Iranian government figures.

— Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Daniel Estrin and Rebecca Rosman

Western leaders warn against a ground offensive in Lebanon

In a joint statement, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. warned that a significant Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon could have "devastating humanitarian consequences" and risk a protracted conflict. They called for immediate de-escalation and urged meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives toward a political solution.

The warning came as Israel deepened its operations against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israel's military issued a fresh evacuation warning for residents in the village of Arab al-Jal, telling people to leave a specific building and adjacent structures ahead of what it said would be an imminent strike on Hezbollah infrastructure.

The warning is the latest in a pattern of pre-strike notices as Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah sites across Lebanon while trying to limit civilian casualties.

Israel's assault in Lebanon has killed 886 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government's disaster management office.

— Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Rebecca Rosman

Europe rebuffs Trump's call for help in the Strait of Hormuz

EU foreign ministers rejected President Trump's call for help to open the Strait of Hormuz, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying there was "no appetite" among member states.

The stance comes after Trump, in an interview with the Financial Times, warned that "it will be very bad for the future of NATO" if countries fail to police the strait.

"I'm demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory," Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday.

"Whether we get support or not, I can say this, and I said it to them: We will remember," he said.

But foreign nations have reacted cautiously, with several outright rejecting Trump's request.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer rebuffed Trump's demands, telling reporters on Monday he is working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but it won't be a NATO mission.

"While taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war," he said.

Germany also sees no role for NATO in policing the strait.

"As long as this war continues, there will be no involvement, not even in an option to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military means," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said in Berlin on Monday.

"It's not our war, we didn't start it," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Monday. We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end."

Spain and Italy also said they would not send ships to the strait.

U.S. Embassy in Baghdad targeted again

The Iraqi government said Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came under attack again, along with an iconic hotel and oil field, amid continued exchanges between the U.S. military and Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The Iraqi interior ministry said a drone hit Baghdad's Rasheed Hotel, used by Iraqi officials and visiting foreign delegations, causing some damage but no casualties.

Tanker hit near Fujairah; Pakistani national killed in UAE from falling shrapnel

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a tanker near Fujairah, located on the Gulf of Oman, was struck by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday, causing minor structural damage. Authorities said they were investigating, and ships were advised to transit with caution.

In Abu Dhabi, authorities said a Pakistani national was killed after shrapnel fell during the interception of a ballistic missile.

Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Hadeel Al-Shalchi from Beirut and Rebecca Rosman from Paris.

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