Israel and the United States coordinated their strike on Iran over the weekend to coincide with a meeting held by Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, alongside his top aides. According to sources within the US government, Khamenei, along with key lieutenants such as Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour, were reported killed in the attack.
Sources from Iran confirmed that Khamenei had met with Shamkhani and Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, shortly before the airstrikes commenced. An Israeli official revealed that Khamenei’s body had been discovered following the operation.
President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s top leader was targeted based on intelligence that tracked his movements effectively, in collaboration with Israel. The subsequent military actions by the US and Israel in Iran have escalated tensions in the Middle East, prompting retaliatory responses from Iran against Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab nations.
Insiders from the US government disclosed that the decision to strike Khamenei was influenced by confirmation of his meeting with top advisors. The element of surprise was crucial, as there were concerns that Khamenei might evade capture if alerted in advance.
Initial plans indicated that Khamenei’s meeting was scheduled for Saturday evening in Tehran, but Israeli intelligence detected an earlier gathering on Saturday morning, prompting the expedited operation. Although the exact location of the meeting was undisclosed, satellite images confirmed that Khamenei’s heavily fortified compound in Tehran was targeted and destroyed.
The repercussions of Khamenei’s demise are yet to unfold. However, the US Central Intelligence Agency speculated, prior to the attack, that hardline elements within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could potentially succeed him.