Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in an overnight Israeli strike in Tehran, according to a statement issued by Katz's office, reported Xinhua. Katz said, during a situation assessment with senior military officers, that "Khatib was in charge of the regime's internal assassination and repression system in Iran and of promoting external threats." "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorized the military to thwart any senior Iranian official who is cornered, by intelligence or operation, without the need for further authorization," he added. Katz also stated that "significant surprises" are expected in the Iran and Lebanon arenas throughout the day, which "will escalate the war we are waging against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," and that "the war has reached its final, decisive phase." The Israel Defense Forces also confirmed Khatib's death in a separate statement. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday confirmed that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in a recent attack. In a post on social media platform X, Pezeshkian expressed sorrow for the death of Khatib, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, who was killed on Tuesday, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was targeted on Feb. 28, some family members of the officials, accompanying personnel, and multiple members of the military and the Basij forces. Pezeshkian said the deaths of the Iranian officials and others are "cowardly assassinations." "I firmly believe that their path will continue with even greater resolve than before," said the Iranian president. According to the semi-official Mehr news agency, Khatib, 65, had originally been appointed to lead the ministry in 2021 under former President Ebrahim Raisi, and was retained by the incumbent administration. He previously served in the office of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and headed the judiciary's protection and intelligence center. Meanwhile, the Israeli air force has struck Iran's major natural gas facility, located in Bushehr in the south of the country, several Israeli media reported Wednesday, reported Xinhua. Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that the strike was carried out in coordination with the U.S. administration. It added that the Israeli air force also struck an energy facility in the southern Iranian city of Asaluyeh, and that it was preparing to attack other national infrastructure in Iran. Israel's Channel 12 News quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that only part of the facility was struck as a "message" to Iran, and that "if the enemy does not understand this message, the strikes may expand." Following the strike, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps issued an evacuation warning for several oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Meanwhile, three private jets have been hit and damaged by shrapnel at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv in recent days following missile launches from Iran and Lebanon, Israeli media outlets reported Wednesday. Israel's Channel 12 News reported that there were no casualties from the strikes, but one of the three aircraft was burned. Israel's state-owned Kan TV News explained that the damage was resulted from high-altitude interceptions by Israeli air defenses. When missiles are intercepted, fragments are dispersed over a wide area, sometimes making it difficult to predict precisely where the debris will land. According to Channel 12, following the hits at the airport, the Israeli Ministry of Transport and Road Safety decided to reduce the maximum number of passengers allowed on each departing flight to 130. The restriction is expected to affect around 1,500 passengers. Iran's supreme leader offers condolences on death of Larijani Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Wednesday, expressing deep condolences over the assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, along with Larijani's son and Iranian officials. In the statement on social media, Khamenei praised Larijani's visionary leadership and his "distinguished career" spanning nearly half a century. He noted that Larijani possessed extensive expertise across political, military, security, and administrative fields, playing a pivotal role at various levels of the Iranian establishment. Khamenei strongly condemned the assassination, stating that the act exposed the "deep-seated animosity" of hostile forces. He asserted that such bloodshed would only serve to strengthen the Islamic Republic and emphasized that those responsible would inevitably pay the price for their crimes. The Supreme Leader also extended his sincere sympathies to the Larijani family. Iran holds funeral for sunk frigate's crew, top security official People in large numbers attended a funeral ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran Wednesday for the crew members of a frigate sunk by the United States as well as one the country's top security officials and a high-ranking military commander killed in Israeli attacks. On March 4, the U.S. Navy's Los Angeles-class submarine USS Charlotte torpedoed and sunk Iran's Dena frigate in the Indian Ocean, killing 104 crew members on board, and leaving another 32 wounded. Iran confirmed Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani and Gholam-Reza Soleimani, chief commander of the voluntary Basij force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, were killed Tuesday in Israeli attacks. Along with Larijani, his son Morteza, Alireza Bayat, deputy secretary of the SNSC for security affairs, as well as a number of his bodyguards were killed in the Israeli strike. The ceremony, which was attended by the deceased's family members, Iranian state officials and military commanders as well as a large number of people from different walks of life, began in the iconic Enghelab Square, featuring a procession to a place in southern Tehran where martyrs are taken for a final farewell before their burial. The mourners waved Iran's flags and held pictures of their "martyrs," including the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as they accompanied the bodies. They also pledged allegiance to and support for the country's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and chanted slogans against the United States and Israel. They also vowed to exact revenge on the United States and Israel for their "crimes" and killing of Iranians in their "aggression" against the country. On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing the country's supreme leader, high-ranking military commanders and civilians. Iran responded through several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets and bases in the Middle East. 27 killed in Israeli airstrikes on southern, eastern Lebanon At least 27 people were killed and an unspecified number wounded in Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple areas in southern and eastern Lebanon during the early hours of Wednesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said. A Lebanese security source and a Civil Defense source told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes carried out more than 100 airstrikes overnight and into the morning, hitting areas in southern and eastern Lebanon. Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that the strikes targeted several southern areas, particularly the city of Tyre and its surroundings, as well as towns in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Marjeyoun, Nabatieh, and Hasbaya. Some locations also came under artillery shelling. In response, Hezbollah said that it had carried out rocket and drone attacks on various Israeli military targets, including sites near Tiberias and areas in northern Israel. Hezbollah entered the confrontation on March 2, launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov. 27, 2024, prompting Israel to intensify military operations targeting multiple areas across Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut at dawn on Wednesday reportedly killed 10 people and injured 27, the ministry said. 3 Iraqi paramilitary members killed in US-Israeli airstrike Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said on Wednesday that three of its members were killed and several others wounded in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike in Iraq's western province of Anbar. A PMF statement said the attack occurred at about 4:10 p.m. local time (1310 GMT) targeting the headquarters of the PMF's Anbar operations commander in the al-Qaim district near the Iraqi-Syrian border, and the headquarters of the second battalion of its 45th Brigade. The PMF described the targeted positions as security sites that have long defended Iraq during the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization and maintained security on the ground. The group reported that dozens of its members have been killed in similar attacks over recent days, which it attributes to U.S.-Israeli operations. The attack came amid heightened regional tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. Saudi Arabia intercepts 8 missiles targeting Riyadh Saudi air defences intercepted 8 ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh on Wednesday evening, the country's Ministry of Defence announced. The ministry said on social media platform X that four ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh were intercepted and destroyed, and "part of one ballistic missile fell near a refinery south of Riyadh." Earlier on Wednesday, it said four ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh were intercepted and destroyed, with debris falling in various areas of the capital. Meanwhile, Saudi Civil Defense said four residents were injured and limited material damage was caused after debris from the interception of a ballistic missile fell on a residential site in Riyadh. Several explosions were heard across the city, and mobile phone alerts were triggered for the first time for residents in the Saudi capital's urban area since the current regional conflict began. The incident comes amid heightened regional tensions following weeks of escalating exchanges between Iran and the U.S.-Israeli alliance. NATO deploys additional Patriot system to protect Turkey NATO deploys an additional Patriot air defense system to the southern Adana province of Türkiye, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Wednesday, after a ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace was intercepted last week. "In addition to the measures taken at national level to ensure the security of our airspace and our citizens, a further Patriot system, deployed by Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, is being stationed in Adana, supplementing the existing Spanish Patriot system already based there," Turkish Defense Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk said at a press briefing. Akturk said a missile launched from Iran on March 13 entered Turkish airspace, which was neutralized over the eastern Mediterranean by NATO air and missile defense units. On March 10, the Turkish Defense Ministry said a Patriot air defense system assigned by NATO to support Türkiye's airspace had been deployed in the eastern province of Malatya and was being prepared for operational readiness. The developments came amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. Qatar declares Iranian military, security attaches 'persona non grata' Qatar has declared the military and security attaches at the Iranian Embassy, along with their staff, "persona non grata" and has requested that they leave the country within 24 hours, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday, reported ANI. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs delivered an official note to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the State, stating that Qatar considers both the military attache and the security attache at the embassy, in addition to the staff of the two attache offices "persona non grata", and requests that they leave the country within a maximum period of (24) hours," an official statement from MFA Qatar read. The ministry delivered an official note to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran during a meeting between HE Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Yousif Fakhro and HE Ambassador of Iran to Qatar, Ali Salehabadi. The ministry explained that the decision was made "in response to repeated Iranian targeting and the blatant aggression against the State of Qatar, which violated its sovereignty and security, in a flagrant breach of the principles of international law, United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2817, and the principles of good neighbourliness." The ministry added, "The continuation of this hostile approach by the Iranian side will be met with additional measures by the State of Qatar, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security, and national interests." It also affirmed that "the State of Qatar reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security, in accordance with the provisions of international law." Meanwhile, key energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf came under attack on Wednesday night (local time), with fires reported at a major facility in Qatar and aerial threats intercepted over Saudi Arabia, following warnings from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), CNN reported. Qatar's Interior Ministry said Civil Defence teams were responding to a blaze at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, a critical natural gas processing hub and cornerstone of the Qatari economy, "following an Iranian targeting," according to a post on X on Wednesday. QatarEnergy confirmed that Ras Laffan had been struck by missiles, causing "significant damage". The company added that emergency teams were immediately deployed to control the fires and that all personnel were safe, with no casualties reported. "QatarEnergy confirms that Ras Laffan Industrial City this evening has been the subject of missile attacks. Emergency response teams were deployed immediately to contain the resulting fires, as extensive damage has been caused. All personnel have been accounted for and no casualties have been reported at this time," QatarEnergy wrote on X. The Qatari Foreign Ministry warned that such attacks constitute "dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of the State's sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security and the stability of the region," CNN reported. Israeli army destroys 2 bridges over Lebanon's Litani River The Israeli army on Wednesday struck and destroyed two additional bridges over Lebanon's Litani River, according to a statement from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, reported Xinhua. The announcement follows an earlier strike on another Litani River bridge last week. Katz's office did not specify the precise locations of the targeted bridges or provide details on casualties. The Litani River, Lebanon's longest river, which runs roughly parallel to the frontier, has long been a focal point in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon rises to 957 The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 957, with 2,391 people injured, according to the country's health ministry on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that the heavy exchange of fire, along with escalating air and ground activities and the increased presence of Israeli forces inside the Lebanese territory, are developments that raise "deep concern." In a statement, UNIFIL said that the violent escalation witnessed overnight marks a further worrying deterioration in the situation between Lebanon and Israel. It also expressed concern over the renewed issuance of so-called "evacuation orders" by parties to the conflict, which are affecting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. UNIFIL renewed its call on all parties to recommit to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to a full cessation of hostilities, describing it as the only path toward achieving lasting stability. It noted that peacekeepers remain deployed at their positions within the area of operations in southern Lebanon and along the Blue Line, where they continue to report violations, maintain communication with the parties, and, where possible, facilitate humanitarian access and protect civilians. Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from Lebanon toward Israel on March 2, the first time since a ceasefire was declared on Nov. 27, 2024. Israel subsequently launched a military campaign against the group, involving intensive airstrikes on several areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, in addition to Beirut's southern suburbs.