Israel, US launched strikes as Iranian leader met with inner circle, sources say
#Iran strikes #Khamenei killed #Israel US operation #Middle East conflict #Geopolitical tensions
📌 Key Takeaways
- Israel and US coordinated strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
- Operation timed to coincide with Khamenei's meeting with top aides
- Multiple Iranian officials including Shamkhani and Pakpour also killed
- Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries
📖 Full Retelling
Israel and the United States launched coordinated military strikes in Iran on Saturday, February 28, 2026, targeting and killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials during a meeting with his inner circle, according to multiple sources familiar with the operation. The joint air and naval operation was specifically timed to strike Khamenei first to maintain the element of surprise, with U.S. President Donald Trump confirming that intelligence pinpointed the Iranian leader's movements. Israel announced that Khamenei was killed along with powerful lieutenants including Ali Shamkhani, the former National Security Council secretary, and Mohammad Pakpour, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, though Iranian sources indicated Larijani was also present at the meeting. The strikes have pushed the Middle East into a new and unpredictable conflict, with Iran already launching retaliatory attacks against Israel and nearby Gulf Arab countries. U.S. intelligence had originally expected Khamenei to hold his meeting on Saturday evening in Tehran, but Israeli intelligence detected an earlier meeting that morning, prompting the acceleration of the strike operation. The location of the meeting remains unclear, but Khamenei's high-security compound in Tehran was destroyed in the initial assault, as confirmed by satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters.
🏷️ Themes
Middle East conflict, Geopolitical tensions, Military operations
📚 Related People & Topics
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Entity Intersection Graph
Connections for List of modern conflicts in the Middle East:
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Original Source
try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry U.S., Israel strike Iran; Trump says Khamenei killed U.S., Israel strike Iran — what is known so far Strategists see only temporary market impact from Iran strikes Bitcoin prices fall below $64,000 after U.S./Israel attack on Iran (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) Israel, US launched strikes as Iranian leader met with inner circle, sources say By Reuters World Published 02/28/2026, 07:11 PM Updated 02/28/2026, 07:12 PM Israel, US launched strikes as Iranian leader met with inner circle, sources say 0 By Jonathan Landay, Phil Stewart, Gram Slattery and Parisa Hafezi WASHINGTON/DUBAI, Feb 28 - Israel and the U.S. timed their attack on Iran on Saturday to coincide with a meeting the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was holding with top aides, according to two U.S. sources and a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Israel said Khamenei was killed along with top lieutenants including Ali Shamkhani, the powerful former National Security Council secretary, and Mohammad Pakpour, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander. Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Khamenei met on Saturday with Shamkhani and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani at a secure location shortly before the strikes started. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that Khamenei’s body had been found. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s top leader was killed after intelligence pinpointed his movements. "He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do," Trump said. The U.S. and Israeli military strikes across Iran have pushed the Middle East into a new and unpredictable conflict, with Iran launching retaliatory attacks against Israel and nearby Gulf Arab countries. The two U.S. sources and the U.S. official, spea...
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