Iran confirms intelligence minister killed in Israeli strike

Iran has confirmed that its Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his sorrow over the “cowardly assassination” on social media platform X. He wrote, “The cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues Ismail Khatib, Ali Larijani, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, along with some family members and team members, has left us in deep mourning.” He also extended his condolences to the people of Iran for the loss of two cabinet members, the Shura secretary, and military and Basij leaders. Pezeshkian stated, “I am certain their path will continue more steadfastly than before.” Earlier in the day, Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced that Khatib was killed during targeted airstrikes overnight. This attack occurred just one day after Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, was also killed. In his statement, Katz said the military had successfully eliminated Khatib and warned that “significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all fronts.” He mentioned that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the military to target other senior Iranian officials without needing prior approval. The death of Esmail Khatib marks the third assassination of Iran's top leaders in just two days. Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij, the internal paramilitary unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was also killed in the Israeli strikes on Tehran. Additionally, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defense minister, was killed in initial US-Israeli attacks against Tehran, along with former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Before these targeted killings, the US State Department had announced a $10 million reward for any information regarding Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other high-ranking officials.