Israel announced the targeted killing of Iran's Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an overnight strike, marking the latest escalation in the ongoing war between the two countries. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Khatib's death on Wednesday, adding that significant surprises were expected across multiple fronts in the coming hours, though he did not provide further details.
This action follows Israel's recent strikes that killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and General Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the paramilitary Basij force. Analysts note that Khatib was closely linked to Iran's new supreme leader and played a central role in the country's intelligence and cyber operations. According to Israeli sources, intelligence gathered over the past 24 hours enabled the military to carry out the operation successfully.
Khatib, appointed Iran's intelligence minister in 2021 under former President Ebrahim Raisi, had a long career within Iran's security and political structures. He studied Islamic jurisprudence under senior clerics, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and held senior roles within the Ministry of Intelligence and the Supreme Leader's office.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Khatib in 2022, accusing him and the ministry he directed of conducting cyber operations against the United States and its allies. These operations included espionage and ransomware attacks in support of Iran's political objectives. The Treasury also criticized the ministry under Khatib's leadership for severe human rights abuses, including persecution of journalists, women's rights activists, and religious minorities, as well as torture of detainees in secret detention facilities.
Khatib reportedly joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1980, shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His elimination is seen as a continuation of Israel's campaign against Iran's top leadership, reflecting ongoing tensions and the military's aim to weaken Tehran's intelligence and paramilitary capabilities. Iran has not yet issued an official response to the strike.
