Israeli warplanes dropped 30 bombs on the complex where Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lives as part of a joint plan between Israel and the United States.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Israeli warplanes dropped 30 bombs on Khamenei’s residential complex after his whereabouts were discovered. The report said Israeli and U.S. intelligence officials had long been waiting for a joint meeting of the Islamic Republic’s senior political and military leaders to attack them simultaneously.
Israeli officials said intelligence forces confirmed three such meetings on Saturday, at which point Khamenei’s location was also determined. The Wall Street Journal described the attack as a “unique” opportunity to be carried out in broad daylight.
The report also cited U.S. sources as saying Washington had intelligence that the Islamic Republic was considering action against U.S. targets before U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the strike. Sources said the information added urgency to the US president’s decision.
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The United States and Israel launched a joint military operation in Iran on Saturday, targeting several military facilities, government buildings and the offices of the regime’s top political leadership, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Defense Minister Amir Nasserzadeh and Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Fakpur. Khamenei (86), who had led Iran since 1989, was killed in this airstrike.
Iran also confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in a massive US-Israeli airstrike and announced 40 days of national mourning following the most widespread attack on Iranian soil in decades. After the strike, Iran warned that it would attack US military facilities across West Asia in response to the joint US-Israeli operation that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
But President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Iran over its claims that it would launch attacks against the United States and Israel following the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. President Trump said that if such an attack were to occur against the United States or Israel, the country would face unprecedented force.
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