Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in an overnight strike and promised that “significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all fronts,” without elaborating.
Iran did not immediately confirm Khatib's death. Israel killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force on Tuesday.
In Lebanon, Israel kept up its intense pressure with strikes it said targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists, hitting multiple apartment buildings in Beirut and killing at least a dozen people.
Meanwhile, Iran executed a man on charges of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency. The report identified him as Kourosh Keyvani and alleged he “provided images and information on sensitive locations” to Israel.
Activists and rights groups have warned since Iran’s nationwide protests in January that the Islamic Republic could begin conducting mass executions. Iran violently suppressed the protests through violence that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained.
