Israel kills Iranian intelligence minister in precision strike

Israel killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib in a precision strike on the 18th. The strike was carried out through a joint U.S.-Israel intelligence operation.

Minister Khatib had been identified as a key figure in plots targeting U.S. officials, including former President Donald Trump. The U.S. Treasury Department had designated him as a sanctions target in 2022 for reasons including cyberattacks and the suppression of protests.

Minister Khatib had previously survived the initial attacks in the 'Epic Fury Operation' at the Tehran defense committee complex, but died in this latest strike. He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1980 at the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War and moved to the Intelligence Ministry in the mid-1980s. He is a security official who joined the organization shortly after the establishment of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security in 1983.

Since the start of the current conflict, Israel has killed several high-ranking Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ali Larijani.