Israeli defense minister Israel Katz authorized the IDF to assassinate senior Iranian officials ‘once the circle closes on them’
Israel on Wednesday killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, during an airstrike in Tehran, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Khatib orchestrated the violent crackdown on protesters earlier this year and ran an agency that attempted assassinations against U.S. officials.
Khatib rose to the senior role in 2021 and “played a key role in supporting the regime’s repression and terrorist activities,” the IDF said in a statement. The Iranian intelligence ministry, the IDF wrote, “possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against the State of Israel and Iranian citizens.”
During Khatib’s tenure atop the Ministry of Intelligence, the Islamic Republic actively attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump and other top administration figures, including former White House national security adviser John Bolton, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and former Iran envoy Brian Hook. Iranian operatives are also active across Europe, where they have attempted to sabotage anti-regime activist groups and kidnap prominent dissidents.
Khatib’s death comes just one day after Israel assassinated Iran’s de facto leader, Ali Larijani, and Basij force commander Gholamreza Soleimani, two of the most senior figures remaining after numerous waves of Israeli strikes wiped out Tehran’s leadership.
Khatib’s “elimination joins dozens of other eliminations of senior commanders of the Iranian terrorist regime throughout the operation, including senior figures in the Ministry of Intelligence, and significantly degrades the regime’s command and control structures,” the IDF said, adding that it will “continue to operate against Iranian terror regime commanders.”
The operation to eliminate Khatib also follows the Israeli government’s decision to clear the path for the IDF to assassinate Iranian leaders the moment intelligence indicates they are able to do so.
“We have authorized the IDF to eliminate any senior Iranian official once the circle closes on them—without the need for additional approval,” Israeli defense minister Israel Katz announced on Monday. The order removes bureaucratic red tape that might have stopped Israeli forces from striking regime leaders before they moved underground.
Khatib was well known to Iranian dissidents inside the country. He organized “the arrest and killing of protestors” during widespread demonstrations earlier this year and helped shape “the regime’s intelligence assessment,” according to the IDF. He played a similar role during the 2022 protests that erupted after regime forces murdered 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Before serving as intelligence minister, Khatib held several senior roles within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the paramilitary force that polices the country’s streets.
Katz in a statement confirming the operation gave a preview of operations to come.
“During this day, significant surprises are expected across all fronts that will escalate the war we are waging against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said.
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