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Israel killed Iran�
The official said the strike was enabled by a joint U.S.-Israeli intelligence effort and described Khatib as a central player in plots targeting American officials.
“This man had American blood on his hands.His network specifically targeted current and former U.S.officials, including PresidentDonald Trump,” the official added.
Khatib had previously survived a sweeping strike on Iran’s senior leadership at the “Defense Council” compound in Tehran during theopening phase of Operation Epic Fury, where more than 40 Iranian leaders were killed in roughly 40 seconds, according to the official.
TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

Iran’s Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib, center, sits with President Masoud Pezeshkian, center right, before a speech to members of parliament in Tehran on Aug.17, 2024.(Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
He was reportedly the only person to survive the initial attack.
“Today, he met the fate of his combatant comrades,�
Israel has targeted and killed several senior Iranian leaders since the start of the war, including AyatollahAli Khamenei, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Gen.Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij unit, and Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Israel Defense Forces said Khatib played a central role in directing crackdowns on protesters, including arrests and killings duringrecent unrestand the nationwide demonstrations sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.
ISRAELI MINISTER OUTLINES IRAN MISSION GOALS, SAYS IRANIAN PEOPLE NOW HAVE CHANCE TO ‘REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM’

People attend a protest against the Iranian regime, in Berlin, Germany, Oct.22, 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic republic’s notorious “morality police.”(Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controlsanctioned Khatibin 2022 for his role in leading Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which U.S.officials said was responsible for cyberattacks against the United States and its allies.
Treasury said the ministry oversawglobal cyber operationstargeting government and private-sector organizations, including disruptive attacks on critical infrastructure.
United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonpartisan advocacy group, said Khatibenlisted in the IRGCat the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and studied under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
NEXT US MOVE ON IRAN: SEIZE KHARG ISLAND, SECURE URANIUM OR RISK GROUND WAR ESCALATION

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, right, and Esmaeil Khatib, left, attend a vote of confidence in the cabinet of President Ebrahim Raisi at the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran, Iran, on Aug.25, 2021.(Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
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He joined MOIS in 1985 or 1986 after it was established in 1983.
The State Department’sRewards for Justice program last weekoffered up to $10 million for information on senior Iranian security figures tied to the IRGC and its networks, including Khatib.
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