Iran’s supreme leader has issued a message of condolence to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian following the killing of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib earlier this week in an Israeli strike, Al Jazeera reports, citing Tasnim News Agency.

In a statement carried by the news agency, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei paid tribute to Khatib, describing him as a “hardworking minister of intelligence”.

The leader stressed that officials must step up efforts to fill the gap left by Khatib’s death, calling on the ministry to maintain security against “internal and external enemies”.