WASHINGTON/DUBAI, March 1 (Reuters) – Israel and the U.S. timed their attack on Iran on Saturday to coincide with a gathering the nation’s supreme chief, Ali Khamenei, was holding with high aides, in line with two U.S. sources and a U.S. official accustomed to the matter.
Israel mentioned Khamenei was killed together with high lieutenants together with Ali Shamkhani, the highly effective former Nationwide Safety Council secretary, and Mohammad Pakpour, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander.
Two Iranian sources instructed Reuters that Khamenei met on Saturday with Shamkhani and Supreme Nationwide Safety Council Secretary Ali Larijani at a safe location shortly earlier than the strikes began.
A senior Israeli official instructed Reuters that Khamenei’s physique had been discovered.
U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned in a submit on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s high chief was killed after intelligence pinpointed his actions.
“He was unable to keep away from our Intelligence and Extremely Subtle Monitoring Programs and, working intently with Israel, there was not a factor he, or the opposite leaders which have been killed together with him, might do,” Trump mentioned.
The U.S. and Israeli army strikes throughout Iran have pushed the Center East into a brand new and unpredictable battle, with Iran launching retaliatory assaults towards Israel and close by Gulf Arab nations.
The 2 U.S. sources and the U.S. official, talking on situation of anonymity, mentioned that affirmation of Khamenei’s assembly with high advisers put the Israeli-U.S. air and naval operation into movement.
The U.S. official mentioned the assault wanted to strike Khamenei first to take care of the component of shock, suggesting there was concern the Iranian chief would escape into hiding if he had the chance.
One U.S. supply mentioned that Khamenei had initially been anticipated to carry the assembly on Saturday night in Tehran. However Israeli intelligence detected a gathering on Saturday morning, and the strikes have been moved ahead, the sources mentioned.
The placement of the assembly was not instantly clear.
However Khamenei’s high-security compound in Tehran was struck initially of the operation, and satellite tv for pc imagery reviewed by Reuters confirmed that it had been destroyed.
The influence of Khamenei’s dying remained to be seen.
However in a pre-attack evaluation, the U.S. Central Intelligence Company concluded that he may very well be changed by IRGC hardliners, in line with two sources briefed on the intelligence.
(Reporting by Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, Gram Slattery in Washington and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai. Extra reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington, Erin Banci in New York and Mayaan Lubell in Jerusalem; Enhancing by Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman)
