Israel kills Esmail Khatib, Iran's top intelligence chief

Esmail Khatib.

Israeli forces said Wednesday that Iran's Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib was "eliminated" in a targeted strike carried out by Israel's Air Force in Tehran overnight. 

Officials in Israel said Khatib has been a menace to Israel, its Middle East neighbors and the people of Iran, adding that his purview included "surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against the State of Israel and Iranian citizens." Khatib becomes the latest significant figure from Iran's dwindling regime to have been taken out by Israel.

His killing comes a day after Israel Ali Larijani, the regime's security chief who was the country's "effective leader" since the supreme leader was killed in an airstrike on the opening day of the war. Israel was also able to take out Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij paramilitary group.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Israeli forces have been hunting down and killing hardline members of the Iranian regime one by one since the war began nearly three weeks ago, severely incapacitating Iran's military capabilities.

Much of Israel's success in taking out key figures in the regime has been based on its world class intelligence, and in some cases has included tips from ordinary Iranians giving up details about where regime members can be found. In a July 2024 TV interview, Khatib boasted that his "greatest achievement is arresting all Mossad agents in Iran who were responsible for eliminations here." Watch that clip below.