The US and Israel launched a joint mission to target Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports from the New York Times.
The attack occurred on Saturday morning, when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was at a compound in central Tehran. The US and Israel had been tracking the supreme leader's movements for months, using crucial intelligence to plan the strike.
US President Donald Trump stated that the supreme leader was unable to avoid US intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems. The exact methods used are secret, but it is believed that technical tracking of Iranian individuals may have been involved.
Intelligence and Planning
The intelligence for the strike came from the CIA, which was passed on to Israel to carry out the actual attack. The signs suggest a division of labor, with Israel focusing on strikes to hit leadership targets and the US on military targets.
The plan was to use jets that could fire long-range missiles, taking advantage of a window of opportunity to launch a wider campaign. Israeli jets used 30 bombs to attack the compound around 09:40 local time.
Casualties and Aftermath
Three senior Iranian defence officials have been confirmed dead, including Defence Council secretary Ali Shamkhani, Defence Minister Brig Gen Aziz Nasirzadeh, and IRGC commander Gen Mohammad Pakpour. Other sites in the Iranian capital were also hit, including the office of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
International shipping has come to a standstill at the strait's entrance, with fears of disruption already pushing up global oil prices. British military personnel at a base in Bahrain were within several hundred yards of a strike, according to the defence secretary.
Retaliation and Response
Iran has retaliated with strikes across the region, resulting in several deaths. The US and Israel have launched strikes across Iran, with the situation continuing to escalate. The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sparked celebrations in several cities, but it is not yet clear what the killing will mean for the course of the conflict.
