Iran’s intelligence minister, Ismail Khatib, was killed in Tehran as a result of an Israeli airstrike. Khatib was one of Iran’s most influential leaders and a close associate of the late religious leader Ali Khamenei. This was reported by Times of Israel, citing Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
According to Katz, the strike occurred during the night of March 18. He said: “The intensity of strikes on Iran is increasing. Last night, Iran’s intelligence minister Khatib was killed.”
The Israeli defense minister emphasized that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the Israel Defense Forces to eliminate any high-ranking Iranian official without additional confirmation.
So far, Iranian officials have neither confirmed nor denied reports of Khatib’s death. Ismail Khatib was appointed head of Iran’s intelligence in 2021.
Last week, the US State Department announced a $10 million reward for information on high-ranking Iranian officials. The list included Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Larijani, and Ismail Khatib.
It is recalled that on March 17, as a result of an Israeli airstrike, the secretary of Iran’s Security Council, Ali Larijani, was also killed. Along with Larijani, his son Murtazo and the deputy head of his security service, Alirizo Beyat, were killed. On the same day, Israeli forces also eliminated Basij commander Gholamrizo Soleimani.
Ali Larijani became the highest-ranking Iranian official killed after Ali Khamenei. The New York Times wrote that before the US-Israel strike, de facto power in the country was in Ali Larijani’s hands, and in January, Ali Khamenei instructed him to suppress protests and prepare for war.
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