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Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that Israeli forces had killed Esmail Khatib, Iran’s Intelligence Minister, and stated that the military is authorised to target any senior Iranian official without seeking further approval.
“Last night Iran’s Intelligence Minister Khatib was also eliminated,” Katz said in a statement.
The announcement follows Israel’s reported killings of Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani.
Katz added, “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is moving up a notch. We are in the midst of a decisive stretch.”
He said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorised the military to strike “any senior Iranian official for whom the intelligence and operational circle has been closed, without the need for additional approval.”
“We will continue to thwart and hunt them all down.”
Katz also warned that “significant surprises are expected in all arenas that will raise to a new level the war we are waging against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.”
The Israeli military said Khatib had “played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, both with regards to the arrest and killing of protestors as well as shaping the regime’s intelligence assessment”.
It added that Khatib had led “terrorist activities against Israeli and American targets around the world,” including during the current conflict between Israel and Iran.
🔴ELIMINATED: Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, in a targeted strike in Tehran.
Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against… pic.twitter.com/654lpYCZ1c
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 18, 2026
The US State Department has offered $10 million for information on Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and other top officials, including Khatib.
