Third senior leader killed in 24 hours as Netanyahu grants military ‘carte blanche’ to hunt officials
News Desk
TEL AVIV: Israel has claimed to assassinate Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, in a precision airstrike deep inside Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed last night. The killing marks the third high-ranking Iranian official to be eliminated in two days and signals a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict.
Military fighter jets launched the overnight strike on the Iranian capital, targeting the minister directly. Khatib, a Shiite cleric and former student of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had overseen the Ministry of Intelligence since 2021. The IDF described the ministry as the regime’s primary organisation for surveillance, espionage, and covert operations against Israel and other international targets.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation during a security assessment. He warned that “significant surprises” were expected throughout the day across all fronts. In a significant policy shift, Katz revealed that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorised the military to target any senior Iranian official without seeking further political approval. “No one in Iran has immunity,” Katz said. “Everyone is in the crosshairs”.
The assassination follows the killing of Ali Larijani, Iran’s de facto wartime leader and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, along with Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the feared Basij paramilitary force. Thousands of mourners flooded the streets of Tehran yesterday for Larijani’s funeral, waving Iranian flags as eulogists praised the slain officials as martyrs.
Western analysts noted that Larijani had been viewed internationally as a viable diplomatic counterpart. His death, alongside Khatib’s, raises questions about Tehran’s ability to coordinate military strategy and international engagement.
Tehran has yet to officially confirm Khatib’s death, a pattern of silence that has become common during the conflict. However, Iran retaliated for the recent strikes by launching missiles with multiple warheads toward Tel Aviv. Israeli authorities confirmed two people were killed near the city when a missile struck a residential area.
The US Treasury had sanctioned Khatib in 2022, citing the ministry’s involvement in cyber attacks against the United States and its allies. Rights groups also accused his ministry of directing arrests and killings of protesters, including during the Mahsa Amini demonstrations.
The conflict, now in its 18th day, shows no signs of abating. Israel also struck central Beirut yesterday, destroying apartment buildings in some of the most intense bombardments on the Lebanese capital in decades. Meanwhile, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly rejected proposals for de-escalation, insisting the US and Israel must first be “brought to their knees”.
