This is the number one target of the massive attack launched by the US and Israel in Iran. Did he survive? What the latest information says
The US and Israel have repeatedly threatened the Iranian Supreme Leader with elimination. The first wave of attacks launched on Saturday morning targeted, according to the information, even the leaders of the regime in Tehran, write Al Jazeera and Reuters.
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The United States and Israel have launched a new series of attacks on Iran, reportedly targeting the regime's leaders.
Among the areas targeted Saturday in Iran's capital, Tehran, were places where Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may be.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that seven rockets hit an area near the presidential palace, located in Shemiran, north of Tehran, as well as near Khamenei's compound.
The Associated Press reported that the attacks also struck near Khamenei's offices in the capital.
Khamanei's exact whereabouts are unknown. Reuters news agency quoted a source as saying Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a safe place.
Who is Ali Khamenei?
Aged 86, Khamenei has been Iran's supreme leader since 1989. He succeeded the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who returned from exile and led the 1979 revolution in Iran that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an ally of the United States, writes Al Jazeera.
Khamenei holds ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military and the judiciary, while also acting as the leader of the Muslim community.
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Khamenei has weathered a fractious relationship with the West, including intense sanctions and several rounds of domestic protests. He has repeatedly said the U.S. is Iran's “number one enemy,” followed closely by Israel.
The loyalty of two of Iran's main security institutions – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary force, which has hundreds of thousands of volunteers – is central to Khamenei's power.
What the US and Israel have said about Khamenei
Officials from both countries have previously issued threats against Khamenei.
In June, after the 12-day war between the US and Israel against Iran and Tehran's retaliation against Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Khamenei “cannot continue to exist”.
“A dictator like Khamenei, who is in charge of a state like Iran and has the horrific goal of destroying Israel, cannot continue to exist,” he said.
In the same month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Israel had not ruled out attempting to assassinate Khamenei, an act he said would “end” the long-running conflict between the US and Iran.
In the United States, President Donald Trump has also made statements that appear to threaten Khamenei.
In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Trump said the Iranian leader should be “very concerned” as the US has built up military resources in the region.
In other statements, he said regime change in Iran would be “the best thing that could happen” and that “there are people” who could take over, without elaborating.
When he ordered strikes on Iran last year, Trump said Khamenei would be an “easy target” if the US decided to go after him.
“We know exactly where the so-called 'supreme leader' is hiding,” Trump said. “He's an easy target, but he's safe there – we're not going to take him out (kill him!), at least not yet.”
The first targets
In remarks on Saturday morning, Trump vowed to “annihilate” Iran's navy and missile bases and urged the Iranians to overthrow their government.
“When we're done, take control of your government. It will be yours,” Trump said.
Information cited by CNN and other US news sources said both Khamenei and the country's president were targeted in the attacks. But there is no information about the success of these attacks.
“Unprecedented Chaos”
There are also questions about what might follow after military intervention.
In a video message sent on Saturday morning, Trump called on Iranian protesters to reclaim their country after the US bombing campaign ends.
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The consequences of the removal of the regime in Tehran depend on how it happens and who the main actors are.
“Simply removing the leaders through an American and/or Israeli military intervention would produce unprecedented chaos and leave a country of more than 90 million people, with immense natural resources, with a particularly important geographical position, and with significant diversity, completely ungoverned,” warned Raul Pintilie, a researcher of Middle East conflicts, recently in an interview with HotNews.
“This scenario would have serious consequences for the entire region – from those of an economic nature to those related to a possible wave of refugees that neighboring countries will face,” he said.
