Hidden deep in his bunker, Khamenei did not expect a bold, broad daylight attack on the heart of his power. Khamenei’s execution was unexpected…
For a brief moment last year, Ali Khamenei’s life hung in the balance. Israeli officials had a temporary opportunity to assassinate the Ayatollah during the 12-day war with Iran. In the end, Donald Trump stopped them and forced Iran and Israel to reach a fragile ceasefire.
Eight months later, as negotiations to curb Iran’s nuclear and missile programs stalled, the US president lost patience, and Khamenei ran out of time. Iranian state media confirmed that Khamenei was killed in an attack during a meeting, along with at least five other senior regime figures, in central Tehran on Saturday morning when Israeli forces dropped dozens of bombs on his compound.
KHAMENEI’S EXECUTION, CUTTING OFF THE “SERPET’S HEAD”
Simultaneous attacks took place in at least two other locations in the city, in an attempt to “cut off the head of the snake.” Verified footage showed thick clouds of smoke rising over Tehran from the ruins of Khamenei’s office and compound, so thick they blocked out the sun. Satellite images showed much of the building reduced to rubble, from which the Supreme Leader’s body, riddled with shrapnel, was pulled out.
Both Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, were reportedly shown pictures of his body. Khamenei had become increasingly withdrawn since the previous assassination attempt last year. His social media posts had also become infrequent.
The bunker in his compound was so deep that it was said that the elevator took more than five minutes to reach it. Opportunities to strike him have been rare, but his enemies only needed one. Israel and the US were forced to accelerate plans when they saw the opportunity to “decapitate” the Iranian regime.
In retrospect, it seems naive for the regime’s top figures to focus on just a few locations, especially when the US had amassed the largest military force in the Middle East since the Iraq War. They did not expect an attack at around 8:10 a.m. local time. A senior defense official described it as a “massive, extremely bold attack in broad daylight” that “hit the top leadership directly.”
The regime was caught off guard “on Saturday morning during Ramadan and on Shabbat, in the middle of the day,” the official told Fox News. Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest, making any Israeli action impossible. Meanwhile, practicing Muslims had been fasting from dawn to sunset for more than a week during Ramadan.
THE URGE TO ATTACK
As a result, according to the official, a “deliberate decision was made to accelerate the attack.” Israel reportedly also had support from an unexpected partner, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, held several private phone calls with Trump over the past month, pushing for a U.S. strike, according to The Washington Post. Although he publicly supported a diplomatic solution, in talks with the U.S. he reportedly warned that Iran would become stronger and more dangerous if Washington did not act immediately. This stance was reinforced by his brother, Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi defense minister, who warned U.S. officials of the dangers of inaction.
Meanwhile, the CIA had been following the Ayatollah for months, learning his movements and routines. The US agency learned of the Saturday meeting and, more importantly, that Khamenei would be present. The information was passed on to Israel. On this basis, the US and Israel coordinated the timing of the attack and struck on Saturday morning, in broad daylight.
Initially, the Iranian leadership claimed that the Ayatollah had been safely evacuated from Tehran. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was still alive, “as far as I know.” But that was not the case. Khamenei had survived a bombing in 1981 that paralyzed his right arm. Now, luck was no longer on his side. Iranian state media only acknowledged his death in the early hours of Sunday local time. Before that, as rumors about his fate circulated, it was Trump who confirmed his death and described him as “one of the worst people in history.”
“This is not just justice for the people of Iran, but for all the great Americans and people from many countries around the world who have been killed or maimed by Khamenei and his bloodthirsty gang,” he wrote on social media. Exactly which surveillance systems Trump was referring to remains unclear. Some speculate that there may have been a spy within the Ayatollah’s inner circle. The US has a “wide range of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities” that could have been used to track him, including air and space surveillance, electronic intelligence, communications interception and human resources.
Israel also used cyberattacks to target the regime. A popular Muslim prayer app was hacked to encourage desertions from the military. Iran’s state-run news agency was manipulated to publish news of a “devastating strike.”
OATH OF REVENGE
Meanwhile, his top aide Ali Larijani vowed revenge: “We will make the Zionist criminals and the shameless Americans repent for their actions.”
The 86-year-old’s death was a major blow to the regime. He was only Iran’s second Supreme Leader, having taken power ten years after the Shah was overthrown in 1979.
The question now is: what happens after Khamenei? Before his death, the CIA estimated that he could be replaced by strong Revolutionary Guard figures. Others believe that the Guard would not be as loyal to his successors, creating cracks that the US could exploit. Trump has called on the Iranian people to rise up and take advantage of the power vacuum, warning that it could be the only chance for generations.
Either way, Iran is in shock. Ali Khamenei was only its second Supreme Leader. He may be the last. (The Telegraph)