US and Israeli intelligence pinpointed three high-level meetings on Saturday (February 28), including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting daylight strikes without delay. American agencies tracked the sessions in real-time, enabling a coordinated blitz that caught Iran’s elite off-guard at Khamenei’s Tehran compound, where offices blended into his residence. Israel unleashed 30 bombs on the fortified site, vaporising Khamenei and family members- his daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law and son-in-law- in the compound’s heart.
Confirmed casualties: Khamenei’s inner circle wiped out
Beyond Khamenei, the assault claimed seven senior defense figures: security advisor Ali Shamkhani, IRGC commander Mohammed Pakpour, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh (also listed as Amir), Saleh Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Hossein Jabbar Amelian, and Reza Mozaffar-Nia. Reuters cited Israeli sources confirming Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Pakpour’s demise, while N12News analyst Amit Segal reported IDF verification of Shamkhani and Khamenei’s unnamed military advisor. President Masoud Pezeshkian’s status remains murky after targeting.
Massive air campaign hits 500 Iranian targets
In Israel’s largest aerial operation ever, 200 fighter jets hammered 500 sites- including nuclear facilities, missile plants, IRGC bases, and leadership hubs- preempting Tehran’s planned US base attacks. Hackers seized Iran’s popular prayer app, broadcasting warnings to armed forces mid-chaos. Trump hailed the “major success” on Truth Social, branding Khamenei “one of the most evil people in History” and his allies “bloodthirsty THUGS,” declaring justice for global victims.
Strategic decapitation shatters Iran’s command chain
The strikes eradicated 11 top leaders total, paralyzing decision-making as IRGC vows retaliation amid 40-day mourning. Khamenei’s “martyrdom” narrative fuels street protests, but the leadership purge, framed by Trump as regime-ending, leaves clerics and generals scrambling. Oil surges, airspaces close and succession battles loom in a power vacuum.
Global fallout from Iran’s ‘assassination crime’
Tehran decries the deaths as unpunished crimes, with Press TV vowing Khamenei’s “pure blood” will uproot US-Israel regimes. Markets reel, allies urge restraint and the world braces for escalation as Iran’s remnants plot next moves.