In a strike that stunned the world, Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on 28 February in a coordinated US-Israel operation in Tehran. The airstrikes, executed in less than a minute, also killed top Iranian military officials and several members of Khamenei’s close family, marking a historic moment in modern warfare and intelligence operations.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years, became supreme leader in 1989 following the death of revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. His tenure was shaped by domestic unrest, including mass protests over election rigging, economic crises, and human rights abuses. He also navigated the country through the Iran-Iraq war and decades of international sanctions.
“Sixty seconds. That’s all it took for this operation, but it is the product of years in the making,” said Oded Ailam, former head of the Mossad’s counter-terrorism division, in a report by The Guardian. “The modern battlefield is no longer defined only by tanks and aircraft. It is defined by data, access, trust, and timing. One minute can change a region.”
Intelligence months in the making
Analysts note that Israel had considered assassinating Khamenei previously, but the operation was postponed due to concerns over regional escalation and allied opposition. In the months leading up to the strike, US-Israel intelligence coordination intensified, merging Mossad’s ground networks with the CIA’s technological and signal intelligence to ensure precise execution.
The CIA tracked Khamenei’s movements for months and shared critical intelligence with Israel. A Saturday morning meeting in Tehran, attended by Khamenei and top military officials, was identified as the operation’s target. While the exact methods remain unclear, intelligence likely included intercepted communications, satellite imagery, and human sources.
Israel had reportedly monitored Khamenei’s daily routines for years, building a detailed picture of his security and movements.
The strike
Israeli jets took off around 6:00am local time and struck Khamenei’s central Tehran compound at 9:40am. Simultaneously, US Cyber Command disrupted Iran’s communications and surveillance systems.
The operation killed Khamenei, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and at least a dozen other senior defence officials. Other key locations across Iran were also targeted.
The operation unfolded in a breathtakingly short 60-second window, ensuring coordination and minimising the chance of escape or counterattack.
How Mossad and the CIA planned the operation
Mossad had long planned Khamenei’s assassination. Over six months, the CIA provided technical and human intelligence to finalise the operation. Within 60 seconds, Khamenei, seven top security officials, and several family members were killed. Israel claimed that around 40 other senior leaders were also eliminated.
Mossad had cultivated an extensive network of informants, logistics contacts, and operatives inside Iran. Khamenei’s routines, security arrangements, and inner circle were closely monitored.
The CIA contributed signal intelligence, including phone calls, locations, and meeting schedules. Pinpointing Khamenei’s presence in a specific compound was crucial to the strike’s precision.
Analysts say the strike was designed to weaken Iran’s leadership structure and military capabilities. However, experts caution that leadership vacuums can sometimes allow even harder-line forces to consolidate power.
Mossad has spent decades cultivating deep networks of informants, local agents, and logistical contacts inside Iran. These networks carried out high-profile operations, including targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists and cyber operations that disrupted nuclear programmes.
The agency also recruited local agents equipped with advanced technology, ensuring rapid, precise intelligence gathering and operational capability.
Immediate aftermath and leadership transition
Iran reported that Khamenei’s daughter, grandson, and son-in-law were killed, while his wife, Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, died from injuries two days later.
On 3 March, Iran International reported that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected as the new supreme leader. Observers note that the Assembly of Experts, reportedly under pressure from the Revolutionary Guard, appointed him.
This is only the second leadership transition in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Potential successors range from hardliners favouring confrontation with the West to reformists supporting diplomatic engagement.
US officials described the operation as necessary to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes. President Donald Trump praised the intelligence collaboration with Israel, saying Khamenei “was unable to avoid our intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems.” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes would continue until US objectives for “peace in the Middle East” were achieved.
What the strike means
The operation illustrates the increasing role of precision intelligence, cyber warfare, and rapid airstrikes in modern conflicts. Experts say it also signals a new phase in US-Israel strategic collaboration against Iran, highlighting the challenges of leadership vacuums in authoritarian regimes.
Analysts caution that assassinations, even successful ones, rarely solve underlying issues. “Taking out a leader doesn’t solve the problem. You just create a new one,” said a former CIA officer, as reported by The Guardian. Israeli intelligence veteran Yossi Melman noted that previous assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders did not dismantle the organisations.
Experts warn the leadership vacuum in Tehran could allow harder-line factions to consolidate power, potentially escalating regional tensions.
The killing of Khamenei marks a turning point in Middle East geopolitics. Analysts predict heightened instability across Iran and the Gulf, with the potential for more drone and missile strikes, disruptions to energy supplies, and intensifying proxy conflicts in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. Leadership uncertainty in Tehran could trigger hardline factions to assert control, escalating tensions further.
