Israel Kills Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in third assassination in two days

Israeli forces assassinated Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an overnight attack, marking the third high-level Iranian official killed in just two days.

“Israel said Wednesday it killed another top Iranian official, the third in two days, while Iran lashed out with attacks on itsPersian Gulf neighbors and Israel, using some of its latest missiles to evade air defenses and killing two people near Tel Aviv as thewar in the Middle Eastshowed no signs of slowing”

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed Khatib's death in a post on X, condemning the 'cowardly assassination' of his 'dear colleagues' and expressing that they had left Iran 'in deep mourning.'

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The killing follows the assassination of Iran's top security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Basij force Gholamreza Soleimani in previous Israeli strikes.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly announced the killing of Khatib, stating that 'significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all fronts,' while the IDF claimed Khatib had played a 'significant role' in the 'arrest and killing of protesters' during Iran's crackdown on recent protests.

Esmail Khatib was described as a highly influential figure within Iran's political and religious hierarchy, possessing significant credentials and close ties to the country's leadership.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli military analysts regarded Khatib as 'having been a trusted figure close to Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei,' while Iranian sources noted he held the prestigious title 'Proof of Islam,' one of the highest religious titles in the country.

Al Jazeera

Khatib had graduated from the influential seminary in Qom and previously studied under the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, making him 'really one of the top clerics' with decades of experience in intelligence circles.

He was appointed as Iran's defense minister by the late former president, Ebrahim Raisi, in 2021 before taking on the intelligence portfolio, and had been sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022 for 'engaging in cyber-enabled activities against the United States and its allies.'

The Israeli government has framed the assassinations as part of a deliberate strategy to weaken Iran's leadership structure and what Defense Minister Israel Katz described as 'eliminating' senior Iranian officials.

“Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has confirmed that Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an overnight attack, marking the third assassination of a high-ranking Iranian official in two days”

Al Jazeera

Katz announced that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given the Israeli military standing authorization to eliminate other senior Iranian officials 'without the need for additional approval,' representing a significant escalation in targeted killings.

The IDF specifically accused Khatib of being instrumental in supporting the regime's 'repression and terrorist activities' and claimed he had played a 'significant role' in the 'arrest and killing of protesters' during Iran's crackdown on recent protests.

Israeli officials suggested these assassinations were intended to 'undermine this regime to give the Iranian people the opportunity to remove it,' though analysts noted there have been no signs of anti-government protests since the war began as many Iranians shelter from American and Israeli strikes.

Iran has responded to the assassinations with intensified retaliatory attacks across the region, while also vowing to continue the 'path' of the slain officials.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed in his X post that their 'path will continue stronger than before,' while Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched multiple-warhead missiles at Israel in retaliation, killing at least two people in central Israel.

Associated Press

The Revolutionary Guard specifically stated the missile launches were 'to avenge Larijani's killing,' using weapons designed to spread maximum damage and evade Israel's air defenses.

The assassination of Khatib comes amid broader Iranian strategy of targeting energy infrastructure of Gulf Arab neighbors and keeping a 'stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz,' the shipping lane through which a fifth of the world's oil transits, contributing to Brent crude oil prices remaining stubbornly over $100 per barrel and up more than 40% from the start of the war.

The assassinations have drawn international condemnation and raised concerns about further regional escalation.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia 'condemns actions intended to harm health or, even more so, to kill representatives of the leadership of a sovereign and independent Iran,' while Hamas condemned the 'treacherous' Israeli strike and called it a 'flagrant aggression' against Iran.

Associated Press News

International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi reiterated his call 'for maximum restraint during the conflict to prevent risk of a nuclear accident' after Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant was hit by a projectile, though no injuries or significant damage occurred.

Former US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent criticized the decision-making process, claiming that 'a good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion' to President Donald Trump, suggesting there was 'no robust debate' ahead of the latest escalation.

Meanwhile, Gulf states have taken precautions, with Kuwait closing its Grand Mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers and authorities across the region curbing large public events due to the ongoing conflict.