Iran says Israel killed intel minister in latest wave of leadership assassinations

Iran's president confirms Esmail Khatib, the intelligence minister, was killed in an overnight Israeli strike—the third senior Iranian official slain in two days—as Israel escalates actions against Tehran's leadership. Israel's defence minister said the strike had tacit approval to target more Iranian officials without case-by-case authorization. Analysts note Khatib's proximity to the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The US has offered $10 million for information on Iran's new leadership, while funerals were held for Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani; Tehran insists its government does not rely on a single individual. The report frames these events as part of a broader US-Israeli campaign against Iran's top leadership.