IDF targets Iranian intelligence minister Khatib and Hamas commander in overnight strikes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted overnight airstrikes targeting a high-ranking Iranian official and a Hamas commander. Hamas commander Yahya Abu Labda, responsible for the organization's missile projects and logistics, was reportedly killed in Gaza. In Tehran, Iran's intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, was targeted in a separate IDF strike, with his survival status remaining unclear due to conflicting reports. These strikes follow the reported killing of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, by the IDF the previous day. Abu Labda was crucial in procuring materials for rocket production and advanced electronic components for Hamas. Khatib, Iran's intelligence minister since August 2021, had a long career in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence unit and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2022 for malicious cyber activities and human rights abuses. Under his leadership, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security reportedly cracked down on activists, journalists, and religious minorities. Khatib had previously accused Israel of war crimes and genocide in Gaza and blamed the U.S. for regional bloodshed.