The 60-second operation that killed Khomeini, secretly planned by Mossad and CIA for months

The assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, completely overturning the political and security landscape of the Middle East, can be described not merely as the result of a single instantaneous decision, but as the culmination of an unparalleled collaboration built over decades by Israeli and United States intelligence agencies with extreme secrecy and systematic effort. For several decades, the sophisticated intelligence network meticulously gathered by Israeli intelligence agencies, combined with the direct contribution of state-of-the-art technological and human resources generously provided by the American Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and other security institutions over the past six months, has enabled them to launch this decisive attack against the Iranian regime.

(C.I.A.) and other security institutions, they have been able to launch this decisive attack against the Iranian regime.

This series of highly precise missile attacks, simultaneously targeting several key locations in Tehran, resulted in the immediate deaths of not only Khamenei but also seven high-ranking Iranian security officials responsible for his protection, and about twelve other close associates, including members of his family. Additionally, forty other senior Iranian leaders who played critical roles in Iran's political and military machinery also lost their lives in this attack. With Khamenei's sudden assassination, this massive series of airstrikes, launched by Israel and America last weekend with the clear objective of completely overthrowing the Iranian regime, has plunged the entire Middle East region into an unprecedented crisis and violence.

A critical piece of intelligence obtained at the last moment by the C.I.A. played a very important role in precisely determining the time and date of this highly complex military operation. The New York Times recently reported that American intelligence agencies definitively confirmed and informed Israel that a special meeting of high-ranking Iranian leaders would be held at the highly secure leadership complex in central Tehran on Saturday morning, and that the Supreme Leader would definitely attend. Security personnel closely familiar with the operation have stated that for months, the C.I.A. had been monitoring Ayatollah Khamenei's daily activities, building a strong confidence and comprehensive understanding of his movements and behavioral patterns. 

Based on this latest intelligence, the United States and Israel decided to completely change the timing of their attack with the aim of achieving a decisive and swift strategic victory by simultaneously assassinating high-ranking Iranian officials and Ayatollah Khamenei. Although both governments initially planned to launch the attack covertly at night under the cover of darkness, it is reported that they instantly changed that decision to leverage the information about this high-level meeting taking place at the government complex on Saturday morning. The main reason for this decision was that the offices of the Iranian President, the Supreme Leader, and the National Security Council were all located on the same premises where the meeting was scheduled to be held.

This historic operation began around 6:00 AM Israeli time, with Israeli fighter jets taking off from their secret bases. Although a relatively small number of aircraft were used for this operation, each aircraft was equipped with state-of-the-art weapons capable of reaching long-range targets with the highest precision. Exactly two hours and five minutes after the planes departed, around 9:40 AM Tehran time, devastating long-range missile strikes hit the targeted leadership complex. Intelligence agencies confirmed that at the time of the attack, high-ranking national security officials were in one building for the meeting, while Mr. Khamenei was in another building located nearby. 

This operation can be described not merely as a random attack, but as the direct result of one hundred percent accurate intelligence and months of continuous preparation. The C.I.A. had provided Israel with highly precise geographical coordinates of Khamenei's exact location, and Israel had secretly planned this extensive operation to target and assassinate senior Iranian leaders for months, using both American intelligence and its own intelligence networks.

Israel had confirmed even before the attack that a high-level group of government officials, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Mohammad Pakpour, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, head of the Military Council Admiral Ali Shamkhani, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Seyed Majid Mousavi, and Deputy Intelligence Minister Mohammad Shirazi, would attend this critical meeting on Saturday. The deaths of Rear Admiral Shamkhani and Major General Pakpour, two high-ranking military leaders whom Israel officially declared it had killed in Saturday's attack, were confirmed by Iran's official state news agency IRNA on Sunday. 

Israeli intelligence agents have been compiling very detailed information on the daily activities of Khamenei, his family, and close associates for years, and there is a long history behind the building of this intelligence network. Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former C.I.A. official, points out that while America provided all the technological facilities, Israel took on the extremely dangerous task of building a massive network of ground-level spies within Iran to gather human intelligence and launch covert operations.

Mossad, Israel's primary intelligence agency, has focused its main attention on Iran for decades, establishing a very strong and impenetrable network of spies within Iran. Yossi Melman, a veteran Israeli analyst, states that about twenty years ago, Mossad made a strategic shift, instead of using foreigners, they began recruiting Iranians themselves as spies by offering money or other benefits, providing them with modern technology, communication equipment, and extensive training. Through this change, they have been able to successfully infiltrate even the highest echelons of the Iranian government.

 Furthermore, Mossad chief David Barnea has also established a special foreign agent division dedicated to sensitive Middle East operations and high-profile assassinations since 2021, and that step has greatly contributed to the current success. Although Israel had carried out various assassinations in foreign countries before, this is the first time a leader of a sovereign state has been officially assassinated. Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli military intelligence, says that since many expected this attack to happen at night, it was operationally and strategically a great surprise to the enemy.

During the twelve-day war last June, Israel also accurately identified and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists and high-ranking military officials in their homes, which can be considered a precursor to this massive operation. Furthermore, the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in 2024, while he was under extreme security, was also a result of this same intelligence network. Last year, Israel was also ready with all the necessary information to assassinate Khamenei, but then-US President Donald Trump hesitated to authorize the operation, considering the risk of a regional military crisis and potential reactions from allied countries. 

However, Israeli officials say that since then, cooperation between American and Israeli intelligence agencies against Iran has grown to a very high level, and they learned many new things during the 12-day war about how the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guard Corps communicate and move when under pressure. After all the collected data was provided to the American and Israeli forces, the attack on these precise targets was launched. Oded Ailam, a former Mossad official, emphasizes that although this was a short sixty-second operation, it was backed by years of continuous effort, and that the modern battlefield is determined not merely by weapons but by data and timing.

However, some experts believe that this historic assassination could be a long-term strategic mistake. Analyst Yossi Melman points out that while Israel enjoys carrying out assassinations, it does not solve the fundamental problem, and no matter how many Hamas and Hezbollah leaders were assassinated in the past, they were replaced by more severe new leaders. A seasoned C.I.A. official, speaking anonymously, also stated that from a long-term strategic perspective, not for moral reasons, this should never have been done. His view is that forcibly removing a political or religious leader creates a new series of problems across the region rather than solving the existing one. The biggest weakness revealed by this operation is the complete failure of Iranian leaders to take sufficient precautions to prevent their leaders from being exposed, even though Israel and the United States had issued clear signals that they were preparing for war.

 In a message reviewed by The New York Times, an Israeli security official stated that multiple locations in Tehran where senior members of Iran's political-security apparatus were gathered were simultaneously attacked. The official further noted that even though Iran was preparing for war, Israel managed to achieve a "tactical surprise" against the enemy with the attack on the government complex. Following the attack on the leadership complex on Saturday, secret locations where Iranian intelligence leaders were staying were also continuously attacked, and although Iran's chief intelligence officer escaped, many high-ranking intelligence officers were eliminated. Despite extensive media reports on all these detailed events and intelligence interventions, the White House and the C.I.A. have so far firmly refused to make any official comment on the matter.