Iran confirms ‘assassination’ of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib after Israeli strike

Iran’s president on Wednesday confirmed the “assassination” of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, following Israeli claims that the senior Iranian official was killed in a strike carried out overnight, AFP reported.

Earlier, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Khatib had been "eliminated" during the attack, marking one of the highest-profile killings of an Iranian official since the start of the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

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According to Katz, the operation was carried out with the authorisation of Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His killing follows the deaths of Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security apparatus, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij militia.

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The Israeli defence minister further indicated that similar actions could continue against other senior Iranian figures, saying that he and Netanyahu had authorised the Israeli military to eliminate additional Iranian officials who are being targeted without requiring further approval.

Khatib had served as Iran’s intelligence minister and was regarded as one of the key figures overseeing the country’s intelligence and internal security apparatus.