The president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, confirmed this Wednesday, 18, the death of the country’s Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, after attacks attributed to Israel. The Iranian leader classified the episode as a “cowardly murder” and stated that the death put the country in mourning.
“I am sure that your path will continue with more determination than ever,” he said in the publication.
The death of the head of Intelligence expands the escalation, after attacks that had already killed other senior officials of the Iranian regime.
The offensive comes in the wake of Israeli bombings that had already killed Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of a militia aligned with the Revolutionary Guards.
On the Israeli side, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the country’s forces were responsible for Khatib’s death. “Last night, Iran’s intelligence minister was also eliminated,” he said in a statement.
The war between the United States and Israel against Iran has entered its 19th day and has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, more than 900 in Lebanon and 14 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The U.S. military says 13 U.S. service members were killed and about 200 were injured.
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