Tel Aviv [Israel], March 6 (ANI): The Israeli government decided to eliminate Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as early as November, with initial plans to carry out the mission about six months later, Defence Minister Israel Katz said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Katz told N12 News that the objective was set during a high-level security meeting late last year. “Already in November we were convened with the prime minister in a very tight forum and the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] set the goal of eliminating Khamenei,” he said, adding the operation was originally scheduled for mid-2026.
The Jerusalem Post reported the timeline was accelerated amid domestic unrest in Iran. Israel shared the plan with Washington and moved the operation forward around January, Katz said, citing concerns that Tehran’s pressured clerical leadership might strike Israeli and US assets across the Middle East.
The killing occurred during the opening hours of Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, which began on Saturday; Israel says this is the first time a sovereign nation’s top leader has been killed by an airstrike.
Israel has framed its aims as dismantling what it calls an “existential threat” from Iran’s ballistic missile programme and nuclear efforts, and facilitating “regime change.” After the initial strike, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) intensified air operations, completing what it called a 12th wave of strikes in Tehran targeting Iranian security and military infrastructure.
High-priority targets included the headquarters of a special unit in Alborz province responsible for internal security, along with facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary. The IDF said it also struck a central command centre for Iran’s internal security forces and numerous sites used to store and produce weaponry.
“The IDF continues to deepen the impact on all the mechanisms of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran,” the Israeli Air Force said, describing the campaign as sustained military action against Iranian infrastructure.
These strikes followed wider conflict earlier in the week. In retaliation for Khamenei’s death, Iran launched waves of drone and missile attacks across multiple Arab countries, targeting American military bases and Israeli assets. (ANI)
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