Israel says it has killed another senior Iranian official as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to intensify across the Middle East.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight Israeli strike. If confirmed, he would be the third senior Iranian figure reported killed by Israel within two days.
Iran has not immediately confirmed Khatib’s death. Israeli officials said earlier strikes had already killed Ali Larijani and Gholam Reza Soleimani.
Meanwhile, Iran continued launching attacks across the region. Iranian missiles struck near Tel Aviv early Wednesday, killing two people in the city of Ramat Gan and damaging nearby buildings.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the attacks used new multiple-warhead missiles designed to evade air-defence systems. The missiles were launched in retaliation for the killing of Larijani, one of Iran’s most powerful security officials.
The conflict has also spread across several Middle Eastern countries. Iran launched missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Explosions were reported near Dubai, where air-defence systems intercepted incoming missiles. Saudi Arabia also said it shot down a ballistic missile targeting the Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts American forces.
Iran has also continued targeting energy infrastructure in the region. Officials reported attacks on facilities linked to the massive South Pars natural gas field, though it remains unclear who carried out that strike.
The escalating conflict has raised concerns about global oil supplies. Iran has tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic shipping route through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.
Oil prices have surged since the war began, with international benchmark crude remaining above $100 per barrel.
In Iran, authorities executed a man accused of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. Iranian officials said the man had allegedly passed information about sensitive locations to Israel.
Fighting has also intensified in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes targeted areas in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley that Israel says are linked to Hezbollah militants. At least a dozen people were reported killed in the strikes.
Israeli bombardments in Lebanon have displaced more than one million people, according to Lebanese officials.
The conflict began on Feb. 28 after joint strikes by Israel and the United States targeted Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
Since then, the war has rapidly expanded across the region. Iranian attacks have targeted military bases, energy facilities and shipping routes, while Israeli forces continue strikes in Iran and against Iran-backed groups across the Middle East.
According to Iranian Red Crescent figures, more than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began.