Israel kills Iran’s spy chief; government seen as ‘largely degraded’

WASHINGTON— Iranian government continues to existintact but greatly deteriorated”Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Congress On Wednesday, as Israel continued to hunt for the leaders of the Islamic Republic with a night airstrike that killed the country’s spy chief.

The death of Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib, announced by Israel on Wednesday, was the third high-level assassination in about 24 hours in a series of attacks that have depleted the ranks of Tehran’s leadership.

Israel ordered the attack on Tuesday, in which Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Basij paramilitary commander Gholamreza Soleimani were killed.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that other senior Iranian figures may also be targeted. “Israel’s policy is clear: no one has immunity in Iran, everyone is a target,” Katz said.

Iran’s new religious leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, made a rare statement regarding the Larijani assassination on Wednesday.

“Undoubtedly, the killing of such a person shows the extent of his importance and the hatred of the enemies of Islam towards him,” he wrote, according to the Associated Press. “Every blood has a price that the murderers of the martyrs must soon pay.”

Tehran responded with renewed missile and drone attacks against Israel and US-allied countries in the Persian Gulf; This further disrupted the strained energy infrastructure and shipping lines. The conflict has halted oil and gas production across the region as shipping has been halted in the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil supplies.

The war triggered a severe global oil shortage that destabilized electronics, agricultural, pharmaceutical and energy supply chains.

The US and Israel’s coordinated attack on the South Pars natural gas field on Wednesday further increased these disruptions. The attacks drew swift condemnation from US ally Qatar, which shares the reservoir with Iran. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack “dangerous and irresponsible” and a “threat to global energy security”.

Analysts said the attack also dealt a major blow to Iran’s electricity supply, as much of the country’s energy grid relies on gas. The field accounts for approximately 75% of Iran’s natural gas production.

Tehran has vowed to respond with more attacks on its neighbors in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Israel’s near-constant attacks on Beirut and southern Lebanon have displaced more than 1 million people and killed 968 civilians, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

As the war enters its third week, the number of deaths in Iran, Israel and neighboring countries reaches thousands.

The international reaction has become even sharper as the fighting shows no sign of stopping. Russia condemned the “killing and liquidation” of the ruling leadership and called for an immediate ceasefire, while European leaders expressed growing alarm over the course of the war and the risks of wider destabilization.

All allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have refused to heed President Trump’s call to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a deepening rift in the world’s most powerful military alliance. Trump tried to separate the United States from the alliance.

“We no longer ‘need’ or desire assistance from NATO Countries – WE NEVER DID!” on social media on Tuesday. he wrote.

Trump signaled Wednesday that he has little appetite for de-escalation, raising the possibility of a decisive military end.

“If we ‘i finished‘What is left of the Iranian State of Terror,’ he wrote on his social media site.

The president visited Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday; The remains of six US soldiers who died when a refueling plane crashed here were handed over to their families. According to the Associated Press, this visit is the second in which Trump has participated in a solemn military ceremony known as an honorable transfer since the war with Iran began on February 28.

At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on “worldwide threats” on Wednesday, Democrats grilled Gabbard and other intelligence leaders about Iran’s preparations for retaliation against energy infrastructure, civilian sites and American military sites and personnel in the Middle East.

Trump claimed that the United States was caught unprepared for Iran’s retaliatory attacks.

“No one expected this. We were shocked,” he said at a Kennedy Center board meeting on Monday. Later in the day, Trump repeated his surprise when asked at an Oval Office news briefing whether he had been warned about the possibility of Iranian retaliation.

“Nobody, nobody, no, no, no. The greatest experts – no one thought he would hithe said.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) at the hearing read last year’s worldwide threats report, saying intelligence agencies last year testified to Congress that Iran could inflict significant damage on an aggressor, launch regional attacks and disrupt “energy supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“In other words, every problem we’re seeing right now was not only predictable, but was predicted by intelligence agencies,” Wyden told Gabbard. “It’s very difficult to sit here and say that intelligence agencies failed to provide clear warning that if attacked, the Iranians would respond by attacking our people.”

Gabbard declined to confirm whether intelligence agencies had briefed the president on the matter, saying she would not “disclose internal conversations.”

He also testified that U.S. attacks on Iran had “destroyed” the country’s nuclear enrichment program, including underground facilities, and said officials were now monitoring to see if Tehran attempted to rebuild. So far, he said, Iran has not restarted the program.

But Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) challenged that assessment, noting that Trump had used the same word — “destroyed” — to describe the strikes just months earlier. Given that timeline, he pressed Gabbard on how serious the nuclear threat was leading up to the February operation.

The intelligence community has assessed that Iran “remains intent on rebuilding and increasing nuclear enrichment,” Gabbard added, adding that the “only person” who can determine what constitutes an imminent threat is the president.

“Wrong,” Ossoff responded. “It is absolutely your responsibility to determine what poses a threat to the United States.”