Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib has been killed in a strike, Israel’s defence minister has claimed.
The killing of Khatib follows the killings of top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force in recent days.
Iran did not immediately confirm Khatib’s death.
The US had sanctions on Khatib and claimed he had directed cyber operations against America and its allies.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement: “Last night Iran’s Intelligence Minister Khatib was also eliminated.”
Iran, Israel and the US continued to fire salvos at each other on Wednesday, with Israel also heavily targeting areas in Lebanon causing widespread destruction.
Early morning strike topples building in Beirut
The US said it had struck Iranian missile sites along the Straits of Hormuz with large bombs capable of penetrating bunkers.
In a post on X, the US Central Command said US forces had “successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites.”
The strikes were aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to keep the Straits of Hormuz closed, something that has frustrated Donald Trump in recent days.
Iran also claimed its natural gas facilities had been struck, saying their massive offshore South Pars natural gas field had been attacked without giving any more details.
The price of Brent crude oil remained over $100 per barrel in early trading on Wednesday, up more than 40% from the start of the war.
Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, sparking the war, Tehran has been targeting the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbours, as well as military bases, as part of a strategy to drive up oil prices and put pressure on Washington to back down.
Iran claims it has only been targeting ships connected to the US or Israel, with over 90 ships, including oil tankers, being allowed through.
The country has been effectively exporting oil and profiting from the increase in oil prices, much of it going to China.
Tehran responds to killing of top commander
Iran launched fresh attacks on Israel on Wednesday, vowing revenge for the killing of two top Iranian leaders the day before.
Responding to the killing of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and one of the country’s most powerful figures, the Republican Guard said on Wednesday it had targeted central Israel with multiple-warhead missiles, which have an increased chance of evading missile defence systems and can overwhelm radar tracking systems.
Israel reported at least two salvoes of incoming fire and the country’s medical service said two people were killed in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said the force launched the Khorramshahr-4 and Qadr multiple-warhead missiles to avenge Larijani’s killing.
Larijani was a senior policy adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and was involved heavily in the nuclear talks with the Trump administration before the outbreak of the conflict.
He was also believed to be behind the suppression of protests inside Iran.
Israel continues attacks on Lebanon
Israel flattened an apartment building in central Beirut about an hour after issuing an evacuation notice on Wednesday.
It was the fourth time the building had been targeted, but three strikes last week failed to bring it down.
Israel’s military claimed the building was being used by Hezbollah to store “millions of dollars intended to finance its activities,” without providing evidence.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but other attacks on apartment buildings in central Beirut have killed at least ten people and injured 24 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The Israeli military also said it had begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon “in response to firing into Israeli territory”.
Smoke and flame rise from a residential building following an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut. Credit: AP
Israel’s strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — roughly 20% of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 900 people have been killed.
In Israel, 14 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire. At least 13 US military members have been killed.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict started, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.
Trump lashes out at Starmer again
On Tuesday, President Trump lashed out at Nato for not being more willing to assist with the war.
He again singled out Prime Minister Kier Starmer for criticism saying he was “disappointed” with him, accusing the prime minister of being “willing to send two aircraft carriers after we won”.
Trump then repeated his assertion that “unfortunately, Keir is no Winston Churchill”.
Starmer has been criticised by some in the UK for responding too quickly to the conflict.
The government has dispatched HMS Dragon to Cyprus to help defend the island and RAF assets there but it has still not arrived.
Forces News reported the warship reached Gibraltar on Tuesday.
Starmer has defended his approach to the conflict, saying he did not want the UK to be dragged into a wider war.
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