Israel’s military said it killed Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in a targeted airstrike in Tehran overnight on Wednesday. The Israel Defense Forces said the operation was carried out by the air force using military intelligence, and described Khatib as a key figure in Iran’s ruling system. Reports Tengrinews.kz.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the claim in comments to local media. Iranian authorities had not immediately issued a public statement on Khatib’s reported death at the time of the announcement. Khatib had served as intelligence minister since 2021 and was described by some media outlets as one of the officials closest to Mojtaba Khamenei.
The statement comes amid rising tensions between the two countries and follows another Israeli claim earlier this week. On March 17, the Israeli military said an airstrike in Tehran killed Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as well as Basij commander General Gholamreza Soleimani. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian later confirmed Larijani’s death and vowed harsh retaliation.
The latest announcement is likely to further escalate the confrontation, as Iran has already signaled new attacks against Israel in response to the killing of senior officials.
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