Israel announces liquidation of Iranian Intelligence Minister Khatib and several other top officials

The Israel Defense Forces reported that on the night of March 18, Israeli aircraft killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib.

Information about this was published on the social networks of the Israeli military.

Esmaeil Khatib has been the head of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence since 2021. Prior to his appointment, he worked in the structures of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in particular in intelligence units.

There has been no official confirmation of his death by Iran.

The day before, Israel reported the death of the commander of the Basij unit, Gholamreza Soleimani, and the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, as a result of an air strike. Their deaths were confirmed by the Iranian side.

According to Israeli investigative journalist Ronen Bergman, Khatib was supposed to attend a meeting of Iranian intelligence officers and military commanders on February 28. That meeting was attacked at the beginning of the war, killing most of the participants. Khatib himself was not present at the time.

In addition, Iran confirmed the death of Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani after Israel announced his liquidation.

After the death of Ali Khamenei, Larijani became the de facto leader of the Iranian regime and led the military operations against the countries of the region. In addition, Larijani headed the political and security coordination of the Iranian terrorist regime and participated in the management of its international activities.

What is known about the situation in Iran?

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and about 40 members of the military leadership. On March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei was elected as the new Ayatollah.

Iran responded with strikes on US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, as well as missile attacks on Israel. Some of the Iranian missiles and drones hit infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries.

Against the backdrop of hostilities, the movement of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which transports about 20% of world oil exports, has almost stopped. As a result, prices for oil, gas, and precious metals have increased.