CIA's Role in Khamenei Strike Revealed
The CIA reportedly played a pivotal role in the strike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader. U.S. intelligence helped pinpoint a high-level meeting of Iranian leaders, enabling the precision Israeli attack and highlighting the deep intelligence coordination between the two allies.
The intelligence operation that pinpointed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was months in the making, with the CIA tracking his movements and patterns of life. This long-term surveillance provided "high fidelity" intelligence on his location, which was then shared with Israeli counterparts. A crucial piece of intelligence was the discovery of a planned Saturday morning meeting of senior Iranian officials at a leadership compound in Tehran, which Khamenei was expected to attend. This specific information prompted U.S. and Israeli forces to adjust the timing of their planned attack to capitalize on this rare opportunity. The daytime strike on February 28, 2026, was described as a "massive, wildly bold" attack. Israeli jets dropped approximately 30 bombs on Khamenei's compound in Tehran, causing severe damage visible in satellite imagery. The attack took place around 9:40 AM local time. The strike was part of a broader, coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," which targeted over 1,000 sites in its first 24 hours. In addition to Khamenei, the initial assault reportedly killed 49 of Iran's most senior leaders who were gathered for the meeting. Following the confirmation of Khamenei's death, Iran announced a 40-day period of mourning. An interim council, consisting of Iran's president, the head of the judiciary, and a cleric from the Guardian Council, has temporarily assumed the duties of the Supreme Leader. The 88-member Assembly of Experts is constitutionally mandated to select the next Supreme Leader. This will be only the second such transition in Iran since the 1979 revolution; the first followed the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.
