Iran Intelligence Chief Khatib killed in Israeli attack

Israel has announced the killing of Iran’s Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, in a fresh escalation of the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

The claim was made on Wednesday by Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, who said the operation was carried out in an overnight strike targeting senior Iranian leadership.

The announcement comes barely 24 hours after Israel confirmed the killing of another top Iranian official, Ali Larijani, in a similar strike—underscoring what analysts describe as a sustained campaign to dismantle Iran’s leadership structure.

Katz disclosed that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have now granted the military broad authority to target high-ranking Iranian officials without requiring further approval.

“Last night, Iran’s Intelligence Minister Khatib was also eliminated,” Katz said, adding that Israeli forces would continue to pursue senior figures linked to Iran’s security and military operations.

However, there has been no immediate confirmation from Tehran regarding Khatib’s reported death.

The development marks a significant escalation in the war, which has intensified since late February following coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, triggering a wider regional conflict.

Khatib, who had served as Iran’s intelligence minister since 2021, was considered a key figure in the country’s intelligence and covert operations network.

The latest strike is part of Israel’s broader strategy of targeting senior Iranian officials, a move analysts say is aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic’s political and security architecture.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise across the region, with Iran already vowing retaliation and launching counterattacks in response to earlier assassinations of its top officials.