Israel on Monday claimed that its air force struck and destroyed the aircraft of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport overnight, describing the strike as a significant blow to Iran’s regional coordination capabilities.
The Israel Defence Forces said the plane had been used by Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials to facilitate military procurement and manage relations with allied “axis” countries through domestic and international travel. “The Air Force destroyed the plane of the leader of the Iranian terror regime at the “Mehrabad” airport in Tehran – the plane was used by Ali Khamenei, leader of the Iranian terror regime, additional senior officials from the terror regime, and elements in the Iranian military, to advance military procurement and manage relations with Axis countries through domestic and international flights,” the IAF said in a statement.ย
“The destruction of the plane impairs the ability to coordinate between the leadership of the Iranian terror regime and Axis countries, in building military power, and in the regime’s rehabilitation capability,” it added.ย
16 aircraft were destroyed
According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli Air Force struck and destroyed 16 aircraft at Mehrabad International Airport earlier this month. The Israeli military said the planes were being used by the Quds Force, the extraterritorial arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to transport weapons and cash to proxy groups, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The military further claimed that Iran had attempted to conceal some of the aircraft by moving them into storage areas meant for out-of-service planes in order to make it harder for Israeli forces to identify and target them.
US-Israel-Iran war
The regional conflict intensified after the killing of 86-year-old Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28. In response, Iran carried out missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US targets across several Gulf nations. The escalation has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor, impacting international oil supplies, energy markets, and global economic stability.
The escalation has also disrupted global energy supplies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical shipping routes, through which a significant portion of global oil and gas supplies passes.
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