The US-Israeli war on Iran has entered its third week, marked by a significant escalation in hostilities, leading to at least 2,000 reported deaths and no immediate end in sight. The conflict saw Israel claim the lives of three senior Iranian figures within a 24-hour period, intensifying an already volatile situation across the region.

Israel announced on Wednesday that its forces had “eliminated” Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, in an overnight strike. Khatib's death followed those of Ali Larijani, who headed the supreme national security apparatus, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the Basij militia. Iran confirmed Khatib’s death. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asserted they had authorized the military to target any other senior Iranian official without additional approval, signaling an increased intensity in strikes against Iran. Katz warned of “significant surprises” that would escalate the ongoing conflict against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Esmail Khatib, appointed intelligence minister in August 2021 by then-President Ebrahim Raisi, was a cleric with deep connections within the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus, having served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the judiciary. Sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022 for alleged cyber operations, Khatib was described by the Israeli military as leading “the Iranian terrorist regime’s primary intelligence organization,” which oversaw surveillance, espionage, and covert operations globally, particularly against Israel and Iranian citizens. The IDF also noted his crucial role in suppressing recent anti-government protests in Iran. His killing, along with Larijani (a key system linchpin and the most senior figure killed since Ali Khamenei) and Soleimani, suggests Israel maintains sophisticated intelligence on Iran’s leadership movements within Tehran, leveraging near-total control of Iranian airspace, often alongside the US, for precise strikes.

In response to the deaths of Larijani and Soleimani, whose funerals were scheduled for Wednesday in Tehran, Iran’s army chief threatened “decisive and regrettable” retaliation. This was followed by renewed missile and drone attacks by Iran overnight on Wednesday against its Gulf Arab neighbors and Israel. Despite heavy Israeli and US strikes on its missile infrastructure, Iran appears to retain its ability to launch targeted attacks. Israel’s medical service reported that a couple in their 70s were killed in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, by Iranian cluster munitions. These weapons, even when intercepted by Israel’s air defense systems, remain highly dangerous as their submunitions can disperse over urban areas, detonating on impact or posing a lethal unexploded threat.

The conflict also extended heavily into Lebanon. Israeli warplanes struck central Beirut in the early hours of Wednesday, destroying apartment blocks in the Zuqaq al-Blat district in what were described as some of the heaviest air raids on the Lebanese capital in decades. Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least 12 people killed and 41 wounded. The Israeli military further stated its intent to target bridges across the Litani river in southern Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from moving reinforcements and equipment, urging residents to flee north of the Zahrani River.

The global impact of the conflict is evident in the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. US allies have resisted calls from Donald Trump to help reopen the strait. In a post on Truth Social, the US president mused about