TEHRAN, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday offered condolences over the "martyrdom" of Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib, who was killed in a U.S. and Israeli strike, according to a statement published on the leader's official website.

In a message to President Masoud Pezeshkian and cabinet ministers, issued two days after Tehran confirmed Khatib's death, Khamenei expressed sympathy to the minister's family and colleagues at the Intelligence Ministry. He urged officials and staff to redouble efforts to ensure national security in his absence.

Khatib, 65, was appointed intelligence minister in 2021 under former President Ebrahim Raisi and retained by the current administration, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. He previously served in the office of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and led the judiciary's protection and intelligence centre.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. ■