On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the elimination of Ali Larijani , the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. After hours of silence, Tehran’s state-run Tasnim and Fars news agencies confirmed his death, labeling him a "martyr." Larijani was widely considered the most experienced and practical operator remaining in the Iranian leadership following the February 28 strikes that killed the previous Supreme Leader. 1. The Strike: Precision in Pardis The assassination took place overnight in the Pardis district, a suburb east of Tehran. The Target: Larijani was located at his daughter’s residence, where he had reportedly moved for security. The Casualties: The strike killed Larijani alongside his son, Morteza Larijani , and his deputy for security affairs, Alireza Bayat . Joint Operation: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that a simultaneous strike also killed Gholamreza Soleimani , the commander of the Basij param...
The online payments service PayPal has taken the unusual step of suspending transactions in India for more than a week. Anuj posted this on the PayPal blog Hi blog readers, it’s Anuj from the communications team here. I’m writing to let you know that personal payments to and from India and transfers to local banks in India have been suspended while we work with our business partners and other stakeholders to address questions they have about the service. During this time, customers can still make commercial payments to India but merchants cannot withdraw funds in Rupees to local Indian banks. We’re trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and we’re really sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause our customers in India and around the world. I’ll update the blog as soon as we have more information to share. Anuj There is no eloborations as to why this steps been taken. We expect some clarity in the coming weeks. Paypal is owned by online auctions giant eBay. An ori...