The resounding explosions in Iran and the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have once again brought West Asia to the brink of war. After the joint attacks by America and Israel, the question has arisen whether this action is just military pressure or the beginning of regime change in Iran. The American official said that it was necessary to target Khamenei first in the attack so that the advantage of the surprise attack could be taken. He indicated that if the Iranian supreme leader got the chance, he could go into hiding.
Why was Khamenei attacked only on Saturday morning?
According to the report of news agency Reuters, the American official said that preparations were made to target Khamenei on Saturday (28 February 2026). He said, ‘It was expected that Khamenei would hold a meeting in Tehran on Saturday evening, but Israeli intelligence agencies detected a meeting on Saturday morning, after which the attack was carried out first.’
At the very beginning of the joint operation between Israel and America, Khamenei’s high security compound in Tehran was attacked and satellite images confirmed that the compound was completely destroyed. As soon as the US-Israeli attack began, Tehran retaliated by launching drones and missiles against Tel Aviv, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan and Kuwait.
Iran will take revenge on Khamenei’s killers: IRGC
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed to take revenge on Khamenei’s killers. IRGC said that the most terrible attack in history will be carried out against America and Israel. Israel said Khamenei was killed along with his top aides, including former National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour.
Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Khamenei had met with Shamkhani and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani at a secure location on Saturday, shortly before the attack began. Iranian state television confirmed the news of the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday (1 March 2025). Iranian media also reported the death of his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.
