The Israeli military announced Wednesday that an overnight airstrike killed Esmaeil Khatib, Iran’s minister of intelligence, in yet another massive blow to the Iranian security structure.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Mr. Khatib’s death in a statement, saying Israel is continuing to strike at key figures in Iran’s security and leadership structure.
“Israel’s policy is clear and unequivocal: No one in Iran has immunity, and everyone is a target,” Mr. Katz said Wednesday in a statement.
Iran has not confirmed Mr. Khatib’s death. He assumed the role of Iran’s top intel officer in 2021 under then-President Ebrahim Raisi.
Unlike previous heads of the Intelligence Ministry, Mr. Khatib brought actual intelligence experience to the role and used his expertise to target activists, religious minorities, journalists and dissident artists.
Still, his tenure saw massive intelligence failures, including the assassinations of several top nuclear scientists.
Mr. Khatib was also a firm ally of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamaeni, who was killed Feb. 28 with other Iranian officials in the opening hours of U.S.-Israel airstrikes.
If confirmed, Mr. Khatib’s death would mark the third significant assassination of a top Iranian security official in two days. On Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike killed Ali Larijani, the leader of Iran’s National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij militia.
Following the strikes on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is seeking to dismantle the remaining Iranian leadership and hopes that Iranians will take to the streets to demand regime change.
