How US–Israel timing and intel precision targeted Khamenei’s Tehran meeting; inside the strike plan

Tehran/Washington: A coordinated U.S.–Israeli military strike on Iran was launched at the precise moment Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was holding a high-level security meeting with senior advisers in Tehran, according to multiple sources cited by Reuters.

Two U.S. sources and a U.S. official stated that intelligence confirming Khamenei’s presence at the gathering triggered the operation. Iranian sources also confirmed that senior officials were meeting shortly before the strikes began.

Israel later said Khamenei was killed along with key security figures during the attack.

What happened during the strike in Tehran?

According to Reuters, Khamenei was in a secure meeting with top security aides when Israeli and U.S. forces launched the first wave of strikes.

He met with Ali Shamkhani and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani shortly before the operation began.

A senior Israeli official confirmed Khamenei’s body was found after the strike.

Satellite imagery reviewed showed that Khamenei’s high-security compound in Tehran was destroyed at the beginning of the assault.

How was the U.S.–Israel strike planned?

U.S. officials told Reuters that the attack was carefully timed to coincide with the leadership meeting to maintain surprise.

One source said the meeting had initially been expected on Saturday evening. However, Israeli intelligence detected senior Iranian leaders gathering earlier in the morning. Once the confirmation was received, the strike timeline was accelerated.

A U.S. official said striking while Khamenei was in session with his top aides reduced the possibility of him escaping or relocating.

Israel described the operation as “Operation Roar of the Eagle.” In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said hundreds of Air Force fighter jets, guided by intelligence, attacked multiple targets across Iran after identifying two locations in Tehran where senior security leaders were assembling.

The IDF said the top security leadership of the Iranian regime was eliminated during the attacks.

How did intelligence track Khamenei’s movements?

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that intelligence systems pinpointed Khamenei’s movements before the strike.

“He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do,” Trump wrote.

Who else was targeted in the meeting?

Israel said senior Iranian security figures were killed in the strike, including Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour, a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The operation reportedly focused first on leadership targets before expanding to additional military and strategic sites across Iran.

The strikes have pushed the region into a volatile new phase. Iran has since launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Israel and nearby Gulf Arab states.