SP
BravenNow
CIA intelligence led to strike that killed Khamenei in Iran, source says
| USA | general | ✓ Verified - cbsnews.com

CIA intelligence led to strike that killed Khamenei in Iran, source says

#CIA intelligence #Khamenei #Iran #U.S.-Israeli strike #Tehran #Supreme Leader #Intelligence sharing #Succession

📌 Key Takeaways

  • CIA tracked Khamenei for months before the strike
  • Intelligence shared with Israel led to joint operation
  • Khamenei killed in Tehran along with other officials
  • Conflicting statements about U.S. targeting of Khamenei
  • Iran's succession process for new supreme leader underway

📖 Full Retelling

CIA intelligence gathered over months and shared with Israeli counterparts led to the missile strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials at a compound in Tehran on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News. The spy agency had been tracking Khamenei's location for several months before the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, gaining deeper insight into his movements as he traveled. The agency then learned about a Saturday morning meeting of senior Iranian officials that Khamenei was expected to attend, which when relayed to Israeli counterparts, accelerated the timeline for the strike to capitalize on the opportunity. Despite the joint operation, there appears to be some discrepancy in official statements, as GOP Rep. Mike Turner, after speaking with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stated that 'we did not target Khamenei, and we were not targeting the leadership in Iran,' while President Trump had previously indicated the operation was responsible for Khamenei's death.

🏷️ Themes

Intelligence Operations, Middle East Geopolitics, Leadership Succession

📚 Related People & Topics

Ali Khamenei

Ali Khamenei

Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989

Ali Hosseini Khamenei (born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. His tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years, makes him the longest-serving head of...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Iran

Iran

Country in West Asia

# Iran **Iran**, officially the **Islamic Republic of Iran** and historically known as **Persia**, is a sovereign country situated in West Asia. It is a major regional power, ranking as the 17th-largest country in the world by both land area and population. Combining a rich historical legacy with a...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗
Tehran

Tehran

Capital and largest city of Iran

Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran a...

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗

Supreme Leader

Topics referred to by the same term

A supreme leader or supreme ruler is a powerful figure with an unchallenged authority.

View Profile → Wikipedia ↗

Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Ali Khamenei:

🌐 Iran 24 shared
🌐 Middle East 16 shared
👤 Donald Trump 7 shared
👤 Supreme Leader 7 shared
🌐 Succession 4 shared
View full profile
Original Source
World CIA intelligence led to strike that killed Khamenei in Iran, source says By Olivia Gazis , Olivia Gazis Olivia Gazis covers intelligence and international security matters for CBS News. Twice Emmy-nominated, she has traveled worldwide with the secretary of state and contributes reporting on intelligence, foreign policy and other security topics across CBS News broadcast, radio, online and streaming platforms. Read Full Bio Olivia Gazis , Lucia I Suarez Sang Lucia I Suarez Sang Associate Managing Editor Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald. Read Full Bio Lucia I Suarez Sang March 1, 2026 / 12:33 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Intelligence gathered over months by the CIA and shared with Israeli counterparts led to the missile strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials on Saturday, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News. The spy agency had been tracking Khamenei's location for several months before Saturday's joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, gaining deeper insight into his whereabouts as he moved around. The agency then learned about a Saturday morning meeting of senior Iranian officials at a compound in Tehran that Khamenei was expected to attend. That insight, relayed to Israeli counterparts, accelerated the timeline for a strike to capitalize on the opportunity, the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters, told CBS News. In an interview with GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, CBS News' "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan asked directly whether the U.S. had carried out the strike on Khamenei. Turner said that he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who "was very clear in the answer that we did not target Khamenei, ...
Read full article at source

Source

cbsnews.com

More from USA

News from Other Countries

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇺🇦 Ukraine