The killing of Khatib, which has not been confirmed by Iran, follows a series of Israeli strikes targeting senior Iranian officials.
Israel said it killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, in an overnight airstrike in Tehran, stating that his death marks a major setback to the Iranian regime’s command structures and warning that its campaign against senior Iranian officials will continue.
The Israeli military said in a March 18 statement that Khatib, as head of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, oversaw surveillance, espionage, and covert operations, including activities directed against Israel, U.S. targets around the world, and anti-regime Iranian protesters.
“As the Intelligence Minister, Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, both with regards to the arrest and killing of protestors as well as shaping the regime’s intelligence assessment,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The killing of Khatib, which has not been confirmed by Iran, follows a series of Israeli strikes targeting senior Iranian figures, including security chief Ali Larijani and Basij militia head Gholamreza Soleimani, as the conflict intensifies alongside Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region.
Iran launched strikes early on March 18 toward Israel and neighboring Gulf states, with explosions reported in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar and air defenses intercepting threats in Saudi Arabia. The attacks followed confirmation by Iranian state media that Israeli strikes had killed Larijani and Soleimani in separate operations.
Ongoing Campaign Against Top Iranian Officials
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on March 18 that Khatib had been “eliminated” in a targeted strike, adding that Israel would continue pursuing senior Iranian officials deemed responsible for threats against the country.
Katz also said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the military to carry out further strikes on high-ranking Iranian figures without requiring additional political approval, signaling a continuation of Israel’s current operational tempo.
The Israeli military said the strike targeting Khatib was carried out by the Israeli Air Force based on intelligence gathered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“His elimination joins dozens of other eliminations of senior commanders of the Iranian terrorist regime throughout the operation, including senior figures in the Ministry of Intelligence, and significantly degrades the regime’s command and control structures,” the IDF said in a statement.
Before his appointment as head of the Ministry of Intelligence in 2021, Khatib held several major roles within the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), mostly in intelligence.
By Tom Ozimek
