US-Israel intelligence led to killing of Ali Khamenei

Sources cited by The New York Times say months of CIA surveillance and shared intelligence prompted Israel to advance a planned strike in Tehran

US-Israel intelligence led to killing of Ali Khamenei following months of coordinated surveillance and high-level intelligence sharing between Washington and Tel Aviv, according to sources familiar with the operation cited by The New York Times.

The report states that the CIA had tracked Khamenei’s movements for months, refining assessments of his routines and travel patterns. On the eve of the strike, U.S. intelligence reportedly identified a senior leadership meeting scheduled for Saturday morning inside a government compound in central Tehran, an area housing the offices of the presidency, the Supreme Leader and the National Security Council. The anticipated presence of Khamenei was described as a decisive element in the intelligence assessment.

Based on that information, Washington and Israel are said to have altered the timing of an operation that had initially been planned for overnight execution. The strike was reportedly moved forward to capitalize on what officials described as a narrow intelligence window. The CIA is said to have provided Israel with what were characterized as “high-precision” details regarding the Supreme Leader’s location.

US-Israel intelligence led to killing of Ali Khamenei as part of an operation that Israeli officials had been planning for months. According to the account, Israeli fighter jets armed with long-range, precision-guided munitions took off around 6 a.m. Israel time. Approximately two hours later, at about 9:40 a.m. Tehran time, long-range missiles struck the compound.

An Israeli defense official said the attack targeted multiple sites in the capital simultaneously, where senior political and security officials were gathered. Israeli sources indicated that those reportedly present at the meeting included, in addition to Khamenei, Revolutionary Guard commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, National Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, Aerospace Force commander Seyyed Majid Mousavi, and Deputy Intelligence Minister Mohammad Shirazi.

US-Israel intelligence led to killing of Ali Khamenei in what sources described as a highly coordinated operation reflecting deep intelligence penetration of Iran’s senior leadership. The speed and precision of the strike, according to the same account, underscore the level of operational coordination developed after last year’s 12-day war and highlight what sources described as vulnerabilities in Tehran’s security arrangements during a period of open escalation.

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