Israel says it has killed Iran’s intelligence minister in third assassination in two days

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that Iran's Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib has been killed in overnight strikes in Tehran, marking the third assassination of a high-ranking official in just two days. "The intensity of the attacks in Iran is increasing. We are in the midst of the decisive victory," Katz said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. "After the powerful assassinations of senior regime officials, the de facto leader of Iran Larijani and head of the Basij 'Murder Inc.' organization, (Gholam Reza) Soleimani, the Iranian Intelligence Minister Khatib was also assassinated last night - who was in charge of the regime's internal murder and repression system in Iran and of promoting external threats," he added. Iran has not yet commented on the report. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates. Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news. Subscribe to CNBC PRO Subscribe to Investing Club Licensing & Reprints CNBC Councils Select Personal Finance Join the CNBC Panel Closed Captioning Digital Products News Releases Internships Corrections About CNBC Site Map Podcasts Careers Help Contact News Tips Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. Get In Touch CNBC Newsletters Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Sign Up Now Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. Advertise With Us Please Contact Us Ad Choices Privacy Policy Your Privacy Choices CA Notice Terms of Service © 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Market Data Terms of Use and Disclaimers Data also provided by