Iran has confirmed the assassination of its Intelligence Minister, Esmaeil Khatib, at the hands of Israel in an overnight attack. This marks the third killing of a high-ranking Iranian official within just two days, as reported by Al Jazeera and relayed through ANI.

President Masoud Pezeshkian made the announcement on Wednesday, mere hours after Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz publicly claimed responsibility for Khatib's death.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli air strikes claimed the lives of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force.

Pezeshkian condemned the strikes as "cowardly assassinations of my dear colleagues," stating they had left the nation heartbroken. In a post on X, he vowed that their path would continue "stronger than before."

Al Jazeera's correspondent Nida Ibrahim, reporting from the occupied West Bank, noted that Israeli military analysts viewed Khatib as a trusted figure close to Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Israeli sources indicated they had gathered intelligence over the past 24 hours, enabling them to confirm the deaths of these three senior Iranian officials.

Defence Minister Katz further revealed that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had granted the Israeli military standing authorisation to eliminate other senior Iranian officials in their sights, bypassing the need for case-by-case approval.

Ibrahim described this as "another success from the Israeli perspective in targeting the Iranian leadership."

From Tehran, Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall highlighted Khatib's impeccable credentials. He had graduated from the influential Qom seminary and studied under the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Khatib held the prestigious title of "Proof of Islam," one of the highest religious honours in Iran. Vall emphasised his decades of experience in civilian intelligence circles, making him religiously, ideologically, and professionally elite.

Vall asserted that Khatib's killing would undoubtedly dent the remaining structure of Iran's regime and government—precisely what Israel appears to be aiming for.

The US Department of State had offered a $10 million reward as recently as Friday for information on Iran's new supreme leader and other top officials, including Khatib himself.

A funeral ceremony for Larijani and Soleimani took place in Tehran on Wednesday, drawing officials and mourners, according to Press TV.

Larijani was one of Iran's most influential political figures, having led nuclear negotiations with the West and served as speaker of parliament.

In an Al Jazeera interview aired after Larijani's death was confirmed on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi remarked that the United States and Israel had yet to grasp that Iran's government does not depend on any single individual.

These rapid assassinations underscore escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, with Israel adopting a proactive stance against Tehran's leadership amid broader regional conflicts.

ANI