Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed in a social media post that the country's Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib has been killed.

The confirmation came after Israel's Defence Minister Israel ​Katz said ‌Wednesday that Khatib ​was "eliminated" in an ⁠overnight strike.

"Khatib was in charge of the regime's internal assassination and repression system in Iran and of promoting external threats," Katz said during a situation assessment with senior military officers. 

"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."

(With input from agencies)