Israel has announced the killing of Iran’s Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, marking a significant escalation in its ongoing military campaign against senior figures of the Islamic Republic.
The development, confirmed on Wednesday, comes a day after Israeli authorities reported the death of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani in a separate strike, reinforcing what officials describe as a sustained effort to dismantle Iran’s leadership structure.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, in a statement, said: “Last night Iran’s Intelligence Minister Khatib was also eliminated.”
He added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government had broadened the operational mandate of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to target high-ranking Iranian officials.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorised the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to eliminate any senior Iranian official for whom the intelligence and operational circle has been closed, without the need for additional approval,” Katz said.
“We will continue to thwart and hunt them all down.”
There was no immediate confirmation from Iran, which had earlier reacted with anger and threats of retaliation following the killing of Larijani.
The conflict, now entering its third week, escalated after coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on February 28 reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, triggering a broader regional confrontation.
Israel also confirmed targeting Akram al-Ajouri, a senior figure in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in a strike inside Iran, further expanding the scope of its operations.
Israeli officials have additionally vowed to pursue Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since assuming office.
Analysts say the strategy reflects a calculated attempt to weaken Iran’s power structure. David Khalfa, co-founder of the Atlantic Middle East Forum, described it as “a campaign of ‘counter-regime warfare’,” aimed at “dismantling the regime’s politico-security architecture to make it waver on its foundations.”
