Eron intelligence minister killed in Israeli strike
Iran's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib was killed in Tehran as a result of an Israeli airstrike. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
Khatib was one of Iran's most influential leaders and a close associate of the late religious leader Ali Khamenei. This was reported by the Times of Israel, citing Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
According to Katz, the strike was carried out on the night of March 18. He said: “The intensity of strikes against Iran is increasing.
On that night, Iran's intelligence minister Khatib was killed.” As emphasized by the Israeli defense minister, he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the Israeli Defense Forces to eliminate a high-ranking Iranian official without additional confirmation.
So far, Iranian officials have neither confirmed nor denied reports of Khatib's death. Esmail Khatib was appointed head of Iran's intelligence in 2021.
Last week, the U.S. State Department announced a $10 million reward for information about high-ranking Iranian officials. The list included Mujtaba Khamenei, Ali Larijani, and Esmail Khatib.
Recall that on March 17, Iranian Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani was also killed as a result of an Israeli airstrike. Along with Larijani, his son Murtaza and his deputy head of security service Alireza Bayat were also victims.
On the same day, Israeli forces also eliminated Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Ali Larijani will be remembered in history as the highest-ranking official killed in Iran after Ali Khamenei.
According to The New York Times, before the U.S. and Israeli attack began, the current power in the country was precisely in the hands of Ali Larijani. In January, Ali Khamenei gave him the task of suppressing protests and preparing for war.
