Tehran: After more than 40 years in power, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes, along with several senior military officials, including top commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to United News of Bangladesh, the CIA had been tracking Khamenei’s movements for months, sharing critical intelligence with Israel. This led to identifying a Saturday morning meeting in Tehran that included Khamenei and top military officials. Although it is unclear whether the US used intercepted communications, satellite imagery, or human intelligence, Israel had reportedly been monitoring Khamenei’s routines for years.
Israeli jets launched an airstrike on Khamenei’s compound near central Tehran around 9:40 am local time. At the same time, US Cyber Command disrupted Iran’s communications and surveillance capabilities. The coordinated attacks reportedly killed Khamenei and at least a dozen senior defense officials, including the IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour and Defense Minister Azis Nasirzadeh, while targeting multiple locations across the country.
The strikes resulted in significant casualties, with the Iranian Red Crescent confirming at least 787 deaths, including 165 schoolgirls and staff in a strike on a school in Minab city. Joint US-Israeli attacks also hit hospitals and residential areas, prompting Iran to retaliate by striking Israeli and US military assets in the Gulf region.
In response to Khamenei’s assassination, Iran established a temporary leadership council comprising President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Guardian Council member Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.
US officials have justified the operation as necessary to weaken Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. President Donald Trump praised the intelligence collaboration with Israel, emphasizing the sophistication of their tracking systems. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the strikes will continue until US objectives for peace in the Middle East are achieved.