Israeli army vows to continue 'series of eliminations' of top Iranian officials after killing intelligence minister

Israeli military spokesperson said “We will continue to hunt down all of the regime's senior officials.”

Updated on: Mar 19, 2026, 01:02:52 IST

By Akansha Purohit

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The Israeli military on Wednesday said that it would not stop its "series of eliminations" of senior Iranian officials, after the country announced it had killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

On Wednesday, Iran confirmed that its intelligence minister Esmail Khatib was in Israeli strikes. (AP)

"We will continue to hunt down all of the regime's senior officials. The series of eliminations will not stop." AFP quoted military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin as saying.

Khatib's killing came soon after Israel killed Iran's powerful security chief Ali Larijani, and another powerful figure, Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force.

In the statement, the military spokesperson said that they will continue to “track down and eliminate senior officials” of the regime, calling them murderers responsible for “numerous terrorist operations.”

Also read: 3,200 casualties in US military within first week of war: Iran's big claim on American losses

On Wednesday, Iran confirmed that its intelligence minister Esmail Khatib was in Israeli strikes. Taking to X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the “cowardly assassination” and offered his condolences. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian branded Khatib's death a "cowardly assassination".

Also read: Iran President confirms intelligence minister Esmail Khatib ‘assassinated’

After crowds gathered in central Tehran for Larijani's funeral, Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, declared in a written message that his killers would pay.

"Every drop of spilled blood comes at a price, and the criminal murderers of these martyrs will soon have to pay it," added Mojtaba Khamenei, in a message published on his official Telegram channel.

Earlier in the day, Israel's defence minister Israel Katz informed that Khatib was killed in targeted overnight airstrikes. In a statement on Wednesday, Katz said the country's military had eliminated Khatib, while adding that “significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all the fronts".

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Akansha Purohit
Akansha Purohit is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, where she is part of the online news desk. She began her journey with the organisation as an intern and later joined the newsroom in a full-time editorial role. With close to a year of experience at Hindustan Times, she contributes to the daily news cycle by writing, curating, and editing digital content. Her work primarily focuses on national and international news, along with explainers that simplify complex developments and ongoing issues. She also writes on matters of public interest, and handles blogs with live updates. Akansha holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi, and completed her postgraduate studies in Digital Media from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi. During her postgraduate programme, she worked on several research and journalism projects that strengthened her reporting, editing, and digital storytelling skills.Read More

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