Israel eliminates Iran’s intelligence chief Esmail Khatib amid intensifying regional conflict

Israel confirmed on Wednesday that its forces had killed Esmail Khatib, marking the latest in a series of high-profile strikes targeting Iran’s top leadership. The announcement comes a day after Iranian security chief Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli operation, part of an escalating campaign aimed at Iran’s political and military hierarchy.

“Last night Iran’s Intelligence Minister Khatib was eliminated,” said Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz Katz. He added that both he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorised the Israel Defense Forces to target any senior Iranian official whose operational intelligence is confirmed. “We will continue to thwart and hunt them all down,” Katz stated.

Iran has yet to issue a statement on Khatib’s death, though the nation had already vowed revenge after Larijani’s assassination. The conflict has intensified since February 28, following US-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a broader regional crisis.

In recent days, Israel also struck Akram al-Ajouri and hit fortified Iranian missile sites along the coast, demonstrating its ongoing strategy of targeting key figures and military infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump expressed frustration over the reluctance of American allies to secure tankers passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a major artery for global oil shipments affected by the hostilities.

The conflict has now engulfed multiple countries, including Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, and Gulf states, raising fears of wider regional escalation and placing global energy security under strain as oil prices remain high.

Analysts describe Israel’s campaign as a deliberate “decapitation strategy” aimed at dismantling Iran’s political-military command structure. Despite losing key leaders, including Khamenei and Larijani, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other authorities have vowed retaliation, signaling that the cycle of strikes and counterstrikes is likely to continue.