Stephen J. By Bose, Chief International Correspondent of Worthy News
Washington/Jerusalem/Tehran (meaningful news) – Tehran confirmed on Wednesday that Israel killed several senior Iranian security officials as part of a US-Israeli operation in a major blow to the Islamic republic’s leadership, while a top Trump administration official resigned in protest over the escalating war.
Iranian state-run television announced that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, born in 1961, was among those killed, confirming Israel’s claims.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Khatib was killed in an overnight airstrike in Iran.
He said Khatib, who had been serving as intelligence minister since 2021, was targeted by Israeli Air Force warplanes in the capital Tehran.
The military described Iran’s Intelligence Ministry as “the primary intelligence organization of the Iranian terrorist regime” and said it played a “key role in supporting the regime’s repression and terrorist activities.”
Israel’s target is Iranian intelligence
“The ministry has advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing the execution of surveillance, espionage, and covert operations around the world, particularly against the State of Israel and Iranian citizens,” the IDF said.
As intelligence minister, Khatib played a key role in the arrests and killings of protesters during recent protests across Iran, as well as shaping the regime’s intelligence assessments, the IDF said.
This included the 2022–2023 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in custody after being detained by Iran’s morality police for violating the country’s strict dress code.
His death triggered nationwide protests, in which more than 500 people were killed and more than 20,000 detained, according to rights groups and the United Nations fact-finding mission.
Khatib also reportedly played a role in the subsequent government crackdown on protesters. Some health officials and advocacy groups have claimed that more than 30,000 people were killed in the subsequent crackdown. However, these estimates remain disputed and have not been independently verified, partly due to restrictions on reporting. Tehran has reported very low figures and described many of the thousands killed as “terrorists” and rioters.
The IDF said Khatib also led the ministry’s “terrorist activities against Israeli and American targets around the world, as well as activities directed against targets within Israel” during the current war.
Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force, were “eliminated” in the overnight strikes.
Iran has confirmed the killing of Soleimani, but there was no immediate confirmation of Larijani’s death.
The attacks come as Iran faces one of its most serious crises in decades, after Israeli strikes reportedly killed senior leadership figures including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict.
Amid rising tensions, Joe Kent, the 45-year-old director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, resigned, becoming the most senior Trump administration official to step down because of the war.
Trump rejected criticism
In a letter posted online, Kent said Iran poses “no imminent threat” to the United States and urged President Donald J. Urged Trump to take “revenge”.
He argued that the administration “started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” calling the justification for the conflict a “lie.”
Kent, a former US Special Forces soldier and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, is also known for his personal losses: his wife, Navy cryptologic technician Shannon Kent, was killed in a bombing in Syria in 2019.
He said he “cannot support sending the next generation to fight and die in a war that will provide no benefit to the American people.”
The White House rejected Kent’s claims and said Trump had “strong and convincing evidence” that Iran was preparing to attack the United States.
There is disruption in Hormuz
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump described Kent as a “good guy” but “weak on security”, and said his resignation showed “it’s a good thing he’s out.”
Officials also rejected allegations that the president’s decision to support military action was influenced by foreign pressure.
Tehran responded with missiles and drones targeting Israel and Gulf Arab states, including attacks near critical infrastructure and sea routes.
The Strait of Hormuz – a vital route for about a fifth of global oil shipments – has been severely disrupted by Iranian threats and attacks, raising fears of a wider economic shock.
The NATO military alliance allies have so far rejected US requests to deploy warships to secure the waterway, drawing sharp criticism from Trump.
The conflict, which began on February 28, has already caused massive damage across the region. Health officials report more than 1,300 deaths in Iran and 900 in Lebanon, while more than a dozen have died in Israel. The US military says 13 US service members have been killed and about 200 soldiers have been injured.
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