Operation Epic Fury: Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib Eliminated in Israeli Strike
The U.S. hits Iranian coastal missile sites with bunker-busters, as President Trump vows to break regime’s grip on Strait of Hormuz.
A day after Israel eliminated Iran’s de facto dictator, Ali Larijani, its armed forces have taken out the regime’s Intelligence Minister, Esmaeil Khatib, in an overnight strike.
Israeli fighter jets “eliminated the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, Esmaeil Khatib, in a targeted strike in Tehran,” the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced Wednesday morning.
The slain spy chief was instrumental in the regime’s deadly suppression of the pro-democracy uprising and running its international terrorist operations. “Khatib oversaw the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, the Iranian terrorist regime’s primary intelligence organization, which also played a key role in supporting the regime’s repression and terrorist activities,” the IDF observed.
He also ran terrorist sleeper cells across the world, including in the U.S., and was involved in plots to assassinate President Donald Trump, a Fox News report suggests.
The Israeli Defense Ministry also confirmed Khatib’s elimination, Ynetnews reports:
Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Ismail Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister, was eliminated. “During this day, significant surprises are expected across all fronts that will escalate the war we are waging against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Katz said. “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is increasing — overnight, Iran’s intelligence minister Khatib was also eliminated. The prime minister and I authorized the Israel Defense Forces to target any senior Iranian official once actionable intelligence is obtained, without the need for additional approval.”
According to Katz, “we are in the decisive phase. Following the powerful eliminations of senior regime figures — Iran’s de facto leader Ali Larijani and the head of the Basij, Gholamreza Soleimani — overnight Iran’s intelligence minister was also killed. He was responsible for the regime’s internal repression apparatus and for advancing external threats.” The Basij is a paramilitary militia under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Israel’s policy is clear and unequivocal: no one in Iran has immunity, and everyone is a target,” Katz added.
Khatib was appointed intelligence minister in 2021. Iran International reported that he was considered especially close to the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. In November, before the outbreak of mass protests in the Islamic Republic, Khatib warned of “conditions for the emergence of public discontent,” and told a Security Council meeting that “the enemy is trying to harm Supreme Leader Khamenei.”
The killing of Iran’s spy chief is one of the biggest successes of the IDF’s operation to eliminate the regime’s top leadership. According to the Jerusalem Post, “Khataib’s death marks the next most significant assassination in Iran since the early days of the war, other than the killing of Ali Larijani and the Basij chief on Monday night.”
NEW: A top Iranian leader who targeted current and former U.S. officials, including President Trump, was killed in a precision strike, Israel confirms.
Esmaeil Khatib was responsible for overseeing Iran’s entire global terror apparatus, including sleeper cells in locations… pic.twitter.com/liZ0tUfhdk
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) March 18, 2026
The U.S. hits Iranian coastal missile sites with bunker-busters, as President Trump vows to break regime’s grip on Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. Military dropped 5,000-pound bunker buster bombs on Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz. The strike comes after President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the U.S. didn’t “need the help of anyone” to break Iran’s grip on the world’s busiest oil route.
“U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. Central Command said Tuesday night. “The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait.”
Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the… pic.twitter.com/hgCSFH0cqO
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 17, 2026
Iran is using its hold over the strategic chokepoint as leverage as the war entered its nineteenth day. “The Strait of Hormuz, in normal circumstances the conduit for a fifth of global oil demand, has effectively been closed for more than two weeks since the US-Israeli offensive against Iran,” Sky News noted. “Tehran responded to the assault by attacking tankers and other energy infrastructure, paralysing traffic and triggering a price shock on global energy markets.”
Earlier on Tuesday, President Trump slammed leading NATO allies for failing to heed his call to secure commercial shipping in the region. In recent days, the governments of Germany, France, and the UK have declared that they are either politically unwilling or militarily incapable of coming to America’s aid.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one way street,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need.”
Since the end of World War II, the U.S. has secured international waterways, establishing the foundation for global maritime trade. Western Europe built its generous post-war welfare systems at the expense of American blood and treasure.
🇺🇸🇮🇷 U.S. drops 5,000-pound bunker busters on underground Iranian missile sites along the Hormuz coastline
CENTCOM confirms GBU-72 Advanced Penetrator bombs were used to destroy hardened Iranian anti-ship cruise missile sites threatening commercial shipping in the Strait.
Five… https://t.co/AJu0IwBPyN pic.twitter.com/d3uyEFFmFs
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 18, 2026
IDF hits Iranian regime leadership, command structures
Amid recent successes, Israel continued strikes on the regime’s top leadership. “The IDF completes a wave of strikes targeting Iranian terror regime command centers in Tehran,” the Israeli military announced Wednesday morning.
In the latest wave of strikes, Israeli fighter jets “struck command centers, ballistic missile array sites, and additional infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime,” the military added. “The completed strikes are part of a phase aimed at further deepening the damage to the core systems and foundations of the Iranian terror regime.”
The Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported the details of the overnight strikes:
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has completed a significant wave of airstrikes targeting key military and security infrastructure in Iran’s capital, Tehran.
According to an official IDF statement, the strikes were carried out on Tuesday by the Israeli Air Force, operating under the direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate. The operation focused on command centers, ballistic missile infrastructure, and additional strategic assets linked to Iran’s security and military apparatus.
Among the primary targets was the headquarters of the IRGC Security Unit, which Israeli officials say is responsible for suppressing domestic protests and civil unrest within Iran.
Also struck was a maintenance facility to the General Logistics and Support Department of Iran’s Internal Security Forces, as well as a command center associated with the country’s ballistic missile array.
With each elimination, the IDF is continuing in our mission to dismantle the core of the Iranian terror regime. pic.twitter.com/HGOvV4qi8a
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 17, 2026
IDF eliminates commander of Iran’s terrorist Imam Hussein Division
The commander of Iranian terrorist force “Imam Hussein Division,” Hassan Ali Marwan, has been eliminated in an Israeli strike. The Imam Hussein Division, affiliated to IRGC’s Quds Force, fights as an Iranian terrorist legion along with proxy terror groups, including Lebanon-based Hezbollah. Marwan’s predecessor was killed in a recent Isreali strike.
Israeli Air Force “struck in the area of Beirut and eliminated the terrorist Hassan Ali Marwan, who was the commander of the “Imam Hussein Division” after his predecessor was eliminated approximately a week ago,” the IDF said in statement Wednesday.
The terror commander was eliminated along with several of the senior operatives. “Marwan was previously responsible for the division’s operations and was appointed as the division’s commander following the elimination of Ali Maslam Tabajeh, the former commander of the “Imam Hussein Division,” who was eliminated along with his deputy Jihad al-Safira, and several other senior operatives,” statement added.
“The “Imam Hussein Division” is a military force used by the Iranian Quds Force to advance the interests of the Iranian terror regime and to carry out attacks against the IDF and Israeli civilians,” the military explained.
IDF confirms it eliminated the commander of the “Imam Hussein Division,” an Iranian militia that operates alongside Hezbollah, within a week of eliminating his predecessor https://t.co/R05zzB3Ckn
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) March 18, 2026
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Comments
According to the Babylon Bee, Trump is attempting to lure Iran’s gay Ayatollah out of hiding with a shirtless picture of David Hasselhoff.
According to Paula, the Minister of Intelligence wasn’t too intelligent.
“he was considered especially close to the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamene”
They were a**hole buddies!
“In recent days, the governments of Germany, France, and the UK have declared that they are either politically unwilling or militarily incapable of coming to America’s aid.”
Embrace the power of “and;” they, the new Eurabia, are unwilling AND incapable of helping out.
That said, the epic nature of the psyops employed against the Iranian “leadership” is palpable. I believe there will be some collateral effect on the feckless EU NATO members.
Unlike Biden, PRESIDENT Trump does not forget.
In which case NATO is effectively dead. Killed by the Europeans’ fecklessness.
Intelligence Minister.
BWAAHAAHAA! Oh, the irony.
I’m getting to the point of seriously considering the proposition that in a post Iran regime collapse and capitulation the USA should consider placing a direct ‘user fee’ on shipping to reimburse US taxpayers. Set the fees on a sliding scale based upon level of cooperation with the USA to create the conditions necessary to maintain ‘freedom of navigation’.
Definately! The oil thats about to flow out of Iran should first flow through the United States of America before it gets ANYWHERE near the EU!
Perhaps I wasn’t clear, I mean on ALL shipping. Gotta have ‘gun boats’ to suppress piracy, deter idiot regimes, destroy the idiot regimes we couldn’t deter and whatnot. The ‘gun boats’ cost US taxpayers a goodly sum not exclusively in treasure but often in blood. Nations are certainly free to refuse to pony up ‘user fees’ as reimbursement but the US is under no obligation to protect the shipping to/from their ports. Oceans are big places and all sorts of bad things can occur to shipping of Nations who refuse to protect their shipping by building sufficient ‘gun boats’ of their own or making good faith payments to subsidize the costs of another Nation providing protection.
Okay let’s be honest here. The US was just making a job opening for Joe Kent. Congratulations Joe. Enjoy the job for the rest of the week.
Man, it’s scary how the juices are able to find these guys and make them memories!!
That’s what comes from 1,400-plus years of fighting Muslim terrorists and “holy warrior” fanatic-thugs.
Can someone please give me the “Explain like I’m five” reason that the United States benefits from NATO membership in 2026?
What you see is what you don’t get.
As a practical matter? Basically nothing at this point other than maybe the potential benefit of kinda/sorta standardized ammunition/ordinance which might be use in a common conflict but as the current lack of support shows that’s a largely theoretical concept at this point. In fairness we did use bunch of NATO ammo in GWOT as our own stocks dwindled before our domestic production increases kicked in.
It contains the worst elements of Russian expansionism. Yeah, they invaded Ukraine, a non-NATO country. You’ll note that they didn’t invade Poland, Finland or any other NATO country on some excuse or another. The reason they don’t do this is because the NATO pact would require the USA to come kick them out. And that is a mess of worms the Russians absolutely do not want for a variety of conventional and nuclear reasons. Keeping Russia from doing such aggressive, idiotic invasions is absolutely in our national interests.
I’m willing to accept that there are better ways of achieving this benefit. But those ways are not in place at this time.
All the “explain it like I’m five” explanations are for why we stay in NATO. Clearly, the Eurotrash has no intention of honoring their side of the equation.
I’ve heard the argument made that it is necessary for us to remain in NATO for US companies to be able to do business in Europe. Considering how much of Europe treats the US including our businesses I’m not sure that is the case.
NATO was created to provide a unified front against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is no more and Europe is both dependent on Russian fossil fuels and encouraged the invasion of muslim hoards. They never paid their fair and agreed upon amount for their own defense. Their values are diverging more and more from ours. Time to leave NATO and the problems of their own making.
I;m wondering about the newly admitted members of NATO who joined as defense against Russian territorial ambitions. Do they still think NATO will protect them especially as most NATO countries and not pulling their own weight? Of course what alternatives do they have especially as they too have allowed themselves to be invaded,
Keep the pressure on the Iranian Islamofascist/terrorist regime.
and now we have to punish the eurotrash who once again refuse to help defend so that they can brag how great their socialist system is as they are subsidized like a 5 year old child
The “other people’s money” description of socialism by Thatcher rules.
meanwhile..our “allies”
On Saturday, two India-flagged gas tankers passed through the strait after days of negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran, including a phone call between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Ships from Pakistan, Turkiye and China also have transited through the Strait of Hormuz. The Financial Times has reported that Italy and France have also reached out to Iran for deals although Italian authorities have rejected making such an overture.