ALBAWABA- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Wednesday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike in Tehran, marking a sharp escalation in targeted strikes on Iran’s leadership.
Khatib, a cleric who headed the Ministry of Intelligence since 2021 and was considered a close ally of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, oversaw internal security and intelligence operations. Israeli officials said the strike targeted a senior figure linked to crackdowns on domestic protests and operations against Israeli interests. His killing is the third high-profile assassination in just two days.
The latest strike follows a wave of targeted killings since the start of the U.S.–Israeli campaign on 28 February. Among those killed were Khamenei himself in the opening strikes, and on Tuesday, March 17, senior official Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, along with his son and aides, as well as Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force. Iranian authorities have confirmed all deaths.
ترور ناجوانمردانه همکاران عزیزم اسماعیل خطیب، علی لاریجانی و عزیز نصیرزاده در کنار بعضی از اعضای خانواده و تیم همراهشان داغدارمان کرد.
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) March 18, 2026
شهادت دو عضو کابینه و دبیر شعام و سرداران نظامی و بسیجی را به مردم بزرگ ایران تسلیت میگویم. مطمئنم راهشان محکمتر از قبل ادامه خواهد داشت.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military has been authorised to target “any Iranian minister or official” without prior political approval, warning of further “significant surprises” as part of a broader effort to dismantle Iran’s leadership structure.
Tehran condemned the killings as “unfair assassinations” and acts of state terrorism. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed retaliation, while Pezeshkian described the strike as a dangerous escalation that threatens regional stability.
