Reports: Detected Tehran Meeting on Saturday Led To Accelerated Iran Operation
Reports suggest detected meeting triggered accelerated US-Israel operation against Khamenei.
The United States and Israel reportedly advanced the timing of their coordinated strikes on Iran to target Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a high-level meeting, aiming to preserve the element of surprise, according to a Reuters report citing US and regional sources. Intelligence indicating that Khamenei had convened senior advisers earlier than expected on Saturday morning is said to have triggered the accelerated operation.
Sources told Reuters that Khamenei had originally been scheduled to meet top officials later that evening. However, Israeli intelligence reportedly detected that the meeting was taking place earlier in the day, prompting Washington and Tel Aviv to move swiftly. A US official told the agency that striking first was considered critical to prevent the Iranian leader from going into hiding. The exact location of the meeting was not disclosed, though reports indicated that Khamenei’s high-security compound in Tehran was struck at the outset of the operation.
The strikes, launched shortly after midnight in Washington — daytime in Iran — came two days after inconclusive negotiations in Geneva reportedly facilitated by Oman. US President Donald Trump publicly defended the action, describing Khamenei as a longstanding adversary and framing the strike as necessary for regional security. Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday, broadcasting archival footage accompanied by black mourning banners.
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Israel stated that several senior Iranian figures were killed alongside Khamenei, including former national security official Ali Shamkhani. Iranian sources cited by Reuters also said that senior official Ali Larijani had been present at a meeting before the strike but survived and later vowed retaliation. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pledged what it called a “ferocious offensive operation” in response.
Within hours of the initial attack, Tehran launched drones and missiles toward Israel and several Gulf states, escalating tensions across the region. Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989 following the death of revolutionary founder Ruhollah Khomeini, was portrayed by state media as a martyr. His death marks a watershed moment for Iran’s political system, raising uncertainty over succession and the future trajectory of the country amid mounting regional instability.
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