From the New York Times, it's the headlines.

I'm Tracy Mumford.

Today's Wednesday, March 18th.

Here's what we're covering.

As the operation continues, so does our mission.

Every day that goes by, we degrade the Iranian regime's capabilities even more.

In Iran yesterday, Israel dealt one of the most damaging blows yet to the country's leadership,

killing Ali Larjani, the de facto leader of Iran, along with some top militia commanders.

Lalijani became the Iranian regime's number one, until we eliminated him too.

Larjani had been an influential force in Iran for decades, at one point leading nuclear negotiations with the U.S.

He also personally oversaw the violent crackdown on protesters earlier this year that left thousands dead.

His killing demonstrates Israel's ongoing focus on picking off

Iranian leaders one by one in hopes of destabilizing the whole regime. Israel's defense minister

has said the goal is to, quote, repeatedly cut off the head of the octopus and not let it grow.

And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that weakening the country's

security forces in particular could pave the way for an uprising by everyday Iranians. Some analysts tell

the times that breaking the chain of command like that could work, but others are more skeptical.

A former senior member of Israeli military intelligence said,

Decapitation has its limits and that Iran will be able to find replacements for the commanders

and keep fighting. This morning, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps fired missiles at Israel

in retaliation, killing at least two people outside Tel Aviv.

The Islamic Revolutionate Guards Court, which was just called the guards, is kind of the shock

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