Amid the escalation of tensions between US-Israel and Iran, Jerusalem has claimed to have killed Tehran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib in an overnight strike on Tuesday. Warning of aggravated hostilities and signalling “surprises”, Israel Defence Minister was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera this war will continue on both fronts – the one targeting Iran and the other targeting Hezbollah.
Khatib assumed the role of Iran’s Iran’s intelligence minister during the tenure of late former president, Ebrahim Raisi, back in 2021. Khatib, who held several senior posts in the ministry of intelligence and the Office of the Supreme Leader, had studied Islamic jurisprudence.
Back in 2022, Khatib was sanctioned by the US Treasury for his role as head of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence “for engaging in cyber-enabled activities against the United States and its allies”.
Khatib had joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1980, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, BBC reported.
Khatib succeeded Mahmoud Alavi and had served as the regime’s eighth Minister of Intelligence. A research paper published by Begin–Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said Khatib was a student of Muhammad Fazel Lankarani, Naser Makarem Shirazi, and Mojtaba Tehrani.
Following the establishment of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1980-81, Khatib, who was in his early 20s, had joined the precursor of IRGC Intelligence Organisation. Later, in November 1997, Khatib was appointed head of the Ministry of Intelligence regional branch in Qom.
Apart from that, Khatib had earlier served as the leader of the Security Department of the Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), a trust that managed the shrine of Imam Reza, as well as chief warden of Iran.
