Amid escalating tensions following a new eruption of conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly vetoed an Israeli opportunity to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even as Israel continues to target high-ranking Iranian officials with precision strikes.
Despite the veto, Khamenei, 86, is believed to be in hiding, fearing assassination as Israel intensifies its operations. According to Shashank Joshi, defense editor at The Economist, Khamenei is likely avoiding all public appearances, with his loyalists working to keep him out of Israel’s crosshairs.
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“I think they’ll be concerned that Israel has clearly penetrated them inside out, so they will be looking to all possible corners from how to keep him safe, perhaps moving him from place to place,” Joshi stated.
Sources within Iran, speaking to the London-based Persian-language outlet Iran International, claim that Khamenei was moved to an underground bunker in Lavizan, northeastern Tehran, hours after Israel commenced attacks on the capital late last week. He is believed to be holed up with his family, including his son Mojtaba, who is considered a potential successor.
Since Friday, Israel has successfully targeted and eliminated several top-ranking Iranian officials, including the chief of staff of the Iranian military and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
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While a strike on Khamenei would undoubtedly be highly controversial and plunge Iran into significant political chaos, its execution would depend entirely on Israeli intelligence locating the supreme leader and the air force delivering a decisive blow.
Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion,” reportedly years in the making, has already crippled entrenched nuclear facilities. However, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is said to lack the massive bunker-busting munitions required to destroy Iran’s most elusive sites, which are located deep underground.
Khamenei was last seen publicly in a televised address on Friday, June 13, speaking from an undisclosed location.
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