Israel says it has killed Iranian intelligence minister Khatib

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz has said that Iranian intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib has been killed.

Khatib, a senior cleric and politician, was appointed intelligence minister in 2021, and was reported to be especially close to the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

He previously worked in the office of the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei as Iran’s chief warden, and in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) intelligence department.

Tehran has not yet responded to the claims.

Alex Croft18 March 2026 10:23

Kremlin describes killing of Iranian security official as 'murder'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Pesko condemned what it called "the murder" of Iran's leaders in US-Israeli airstrikes, a day after Iran's semi-official Fars news agency confirmed that Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in Tehran.

"We unequivocally condemn any actions aimed at harming the health of, or indeed murdering or eliminating, members of the leadership of sovereign and independent Iran, as well as those of other countries, Peskov said when asked about Moscow’s reaction.

“We condemn such actions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Alex Croft18 March 2026 10:06

'Fake news': Kremlin rejects reports Russia is sharing drone tech with Iran

We’re hearing from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who has rejected reports that Moscow is assisting Iran with satellite imagery and drone technology.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Russia has been expanding its intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, providing satellite imagery and improved drone technology to aid Tehran’s targeting of US forces in the region.

But Peskov described the WSJ report as “fake news”.

Speaking to reporters, Peskov added that Moscow strongly condemns the killing of Iran’s leaders, and warned that the gas market has been thrown into turmoil because of the war.

Europe has not give any signal it wants to hold a dialogue on gas, he added.

Alex Croft18 March 2026 09:57

Recap: Loud booms over Dubai as Iranian attacks continue across the region

Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Riyadh region, as Iranian attacks across the region continue, the country’s defense ministry said.

It comes after loud booms were earlier heard in Dubai as UAE authorities said its air defences were responding to “incoming missile and drone threats from Iran”.

Dubai’s Media Office said UAE authorities had confirmed a successful missile interception, and that non injuries had been reported.

Alex Croft18 March 2026 09:28

Nato deploys Patriot missile defence system to Turkey

Nato is deploying another US Patriot missile defence system to the southern Turkish province of Adana, US forces are based in the Incirlik Air Base, Turkey's Defence Ministry has said.

It comes after Nato deployed a Patriot system to its southeastern Malatya province, near a Nato radar base, as part of steps to boost air defences against missile threats from the Iran war.

Adana hosts Turkey's Incirlik Air Base, where personnel from the US, Qatar, Spain, and Poland are located, as well as Turkish troops.

"In addition to national-level measures taken to ensure the security of our airspace and our citizens, another Patriot system, commissioned by Allied Air Command in Ramstein/Germany, is being deployed in Adana, in addition to the existing Spanish Patriot system stationed there," the ministry said at a weekly briefing.

Turkey does not possess advanced air defence systems, despite development efforts, and has relied on Nato air defences stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to intercept three missiles it says were fired from Iran since the war began.

Alex Croft18 March 2026 09:18

Iran war briefing: Tel Aviv bombarded in retaliation for killing security chief

We’ve compiled a daily briefing of war in the Middle East, with The Independent’s five top stories of the day.

You can find it here:

Alex Croft18 March 2026 08:57

Russia, China and Iran are biggest threats to Sweden, declares security service

An annual Swedish security service report has declared that Russia, China and Iran are the biggest threats to the country, Reuters is reporting.

The Swedish Security Service (SAPO) has warned in recent years of rising threats, above all from a Russian state increasingly prone to risky ventures in support of its war in Ukraine, including through destabilising hybrid attacks around Europe.

Iran has also long been labelled a serious threat and authorities have noted how criminal networks in Sweden, which has spent the past decade dealing with a wave of gang-related crime, have been used by state actors to carry out violent acts.

"The US-Israeli military operation against Iran, and the countermeasures carried out by Iran, have increased the threat against American, Israeli and Jewish targets in Sweden," Security Service chief Charlotte von Essen said in the report.

Alex Croft18 March 2026 08:45

Unreasonable to expect Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah amid bombings, says France

We’ve heard from the French envoy for Lebanon, who has spoken out on Israeli demands for the Hezbollah militant group to disarm.

It is an unreasonable expectation for the Lebanese government to disarm the group while the country is being bombed by Israel, Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday, adding that only a negotiation would resolve the crisis.

"Israel occupied Lebanon for a very long time and failed to eradicate Hezbollah's military capacity. Therefore, they cannot now ask the Lebanese government to do that job in three days under bombardment.”

Alex Croft18 March 2026 08:30

Watch: Multiple strikes rock Beirut suburb overnight

Bryony Gooch18 March 2026 08:18

Tehran's 'strong political structure' will not be toppled by assassinations, says Iran foreign minister

Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said US-Israeli assassinations will not topple Tehran’s “strong political structure” after the killing of Ali Larijani.

“I do not know why the Americans and the Israelis still have not understood this point: The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic, and social institutions,” Araghchi told Al Jazeera.

“The presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure,” he said.

“Of course, individuals are influential, and each person plays their role – some better, some worse, some less – but what matters is that the political system in Iran is a very solid structure.”

Araghchi pointed to the assassination of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of US-Israeli strikes on 28 February, noting that despite the huge national loss, “the system continued”.

Bryony Gooch18 March 2026 08:09