Israel Katz, the Minister of Defense of Israel, confirmed that as a result of an Israeli strike, Esmail Khatib, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence, was killed.
Katz emphasized that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) now has the authority to eliminate any Iranian official without the need for additional approval. This was reported by Clash Report.
“Significant events are expected today that will elevate the conflict to a new level…
We have granted the army the authority to eliminate Iranian officials as soon as a 'targeting circle' is established, without the need for coordination,” Katz said at a press conference.
Esmail Khatib, who had served as Minister of Intelligence since 2021, was appointed to this position by President Ebrahim Raisi. He is also known as a religious figure and has held various positions within the Iranian intelligence structure for many years. Khatib played an active role in critical areas such as internal security, counterintelligence, and monitoring anti-government activities.
Khatib, who rarely appears in public, is better known as a person associated with operations and security policies conducted behind closed doors.
Media reports indicate that funerals will be held for high-ranking Iranian officials who died as a result of airstrikes.
Today in Tehran, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and the leader of the paramilitary formation "Basij," Gholamreza Soleimani, will be buried, according to the Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The ceremony, which is set to begin at 1:30 PM local time at Enghelab Square in Tehran, is also dedicated to the 84 sailors who died on March 4 when the U.S. sank the Iranian ship IRIS Dena with a torpedo.
On Tuesday, Iran announced that Larijani and Soleimani were killed as a result of Israeli strikes, and Iranian army commander Amir Hatami threatened a "decisive retaliatory strike."
The article "Israel's Defense Minister stated that the Iranian Minister of Intelligence was killed as a result of an Israeli strike" first appeared on K-News.
