Iran Confirms Killing of Ismail Khatib: Details

The United States and Israel bombed a major Iranian gas field in the Gulf, causing a fire, Iranian state television reported.

“A few moments ago, some parts of the gas facilities located in the South Pars special economic energy zone, in Asulayeh, were hit by projectiles fired by the American-Zionist enemy,” state television reported.

The South Pars-North Dome field, shared by Iran and Qatar, is the world’s largest known gas reserve, supplying about 70 percent of the Islamic republic’s domestic natural gas. (afp/efe)

US President Donald Trump has said his country does not need the Strait of Hormuz and has threatened to leave its control to nations that depend on the strategic oil and gas route, and have not heeded his call to ensure security in the sea passage, blocked by Iran.

“I wonder what would happen if we ‘wiped out’ what’s left of the Iranian terrorist state and let the countries that use it, not us, take responsibility for the so-called ‘strait’. That would make some of our unresponsive ‘allies’ step up, and fast!” he wrote on his Truth Social network. (efe/afp/ap)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Kazt says in a statement that Iran’s Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib was killed in a bombing last night.

“After the forceful assassinations of senior officials of the regime, the de facto leader of Iran and head of the Basij organization, Larijani and Soleimani, last night the Iranian Minister of Intelligence, (Ismail) Khatib, who was in charge of the regime’s internal system of assassinations and repression, was also assassinated,” the text says. (ap/efe)

The Bushehr nuclear power plant, on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf, has been hit by a projectile, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this Wednesday, which indicates that it has no evidence of damage or victims.

The IAEA reported in a brief message that Iran has informed it of this attack. Its director, Rafael Grossi, insisted on calling for “maximum containment in the conflict to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident.” (ap/efe)

Iran has responded to the death of Ali Larijani, secretary of the National Security Council and key man in the regime, with new waves of attacks against Tel Aviv that, for now, have caused the first two deaths in Israel since last March 9. (ap/efe)

At least six people were killed and 24 others were injured in two Israeli bombings against buildings in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. There have already been seven attacks inside the capital since the start of hostilities.

“Two attacks by the Israeli enemy in Beirut caused, as an initial toll, the death of six citizens and the wounding of another 24. Remains were also recovered from the site and their identities will be determined after completing DNA tests,” the Lebanese Emergency Operations Center reported in a statement. (efe/afp)