What is the Blue Sparrow missile that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Blue Sparrow missile. (Image: X)

• Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei killed in joint US-Israel strike
• Israel deployed the Blue Sparrow "missile from space"
• Strike kills 40+ Iranian leaders, escalating West Asia tensions

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026, during coordinated military strikes by Israel and the United States targeting senior Iranian leadership and strategic facilities across the country, sharply escalating tensions in West Asia.

Israel used an advanced jet-launched ballistic weapon known as the Blue Sparrow, often described as a “missile from space” because of the trajectory it follows before striking its target.

What is the Blue Sparrow missile?

The Blue Sparrow is an advanced air-launched ballistic missile developed by Israel. The missile has a range of about 1,240 miles (around 2,000 kilometres) and follows a trajectory that takes it toward the edge of Earth’s atmosphere before plunging back toward its target.

Because of this flight path, the weapon is often described as a “missile from space”.

The missile is roughly 6.5 metres long and weighs about 1.9 tonnes, according to technical descriptions cited in several reports. It is typically launched from fighter aircraft and follows a ballistic path before releasing a re-entry vehicle that strikes the target at extremely high speed.

The Telegraph reported that debris believed to be from the missile, described as long, grey, cylindrical fragments, was later found in western Iraq along what analysts believe was the flight path toward Iran.

Defence analysts cited by Forbes say variants of the Sparrow system have been adapted to allow aircraft to launch ballistic-style weapons from long standoff distances. This allows attacks on heavily defended targets without exposing aircraft to enemy air-defence systems.

Origins of the Sparrow missile system

The Blue Sparrow belongs to a broader family of systems that also includes the Black Sparrow and Silver Sparrow. These were originally designed to simulate Soviet Scud missiles for air-defence testing.

An earlier AFP report from 2008 said the Blue Sparrow was developed by Israel’s Armament Development Authority and launched from fighter jets during tests of the Israeli-developed Arrow missile defence system.

The Arrow system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in the upper atmosphere.

Over time, analysts say the system has evolved beyond its testing role and can now function as a high-speed precision strike weapon.

Its ability to briefly exit the atmosphere and re-enter at extremely high speed significantly reduces reaction time for defenders, making interception far more difficult.

How the Tehran strike unfolded

According to NDTV, Israeli fighter aircraft, including F-15 Eagle jets, were deployed at around 7.30 am Iran time on the day of the attack.

Roughly two hours later, the aircraft launched about 30 missiles, including Blue Sparrow systems, at a compound linked to Khamenei in Tehran, where senior Iranian political and military officials had gathered.

Further details reported by The New York Times said the operation relied heavily on intelligence gathered by the Central Intelligence Agency, which had been tracking Khamenei’s movements for months.

US intelligence reportedly learned that a meeting of top Iranian officials would take place at a government compound in Tehran and that Khamenei would be present. The CIA then shared what officials described as “high fidelity” intelligence about his location with Israel.

The strike, originally planned as a nighttime operation, was adjusted to take advantage of that information.

According to the report, fighter jets took off from Israeli bases around 6 am Israel time. Around two hours later, long-range missiles struck the compound in Tehran.

While senior Iranian national security officials were gathered in one building, Khamenei was in another structure within the same compound when the strike occurred.

Deception and an intelligence operation

Reports indicate the strike was the culmination of a complex intelligence operation.

According to the New York Post, Israeli officials created the impression that the military was standing down for the weekend ahead of the attack.

An Israel Defence Forces official said photos and information were released suggesting commanders were heading home for Shabbat dinner, giving the impression operations had paused.

In reality, senior officials returned to headquarters to prepare the strike.

The report said Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad had tracked security personnel movements around Khamenei’s compound on Pasteur Street in central Tehran for months.

Surveillance cameras were used to determine when senior Iranian leaders had gathered at the compound.

According to the report, Israeli forces also disrupted about a dozen mobile phone towers near the site to prevent security teams from receiving warnings during the operation.

Israeli and US command centres reportedly coordinated in real time, allowing the operation to adjust to Iran’s responses.

Israeli officials said the strike killed more than 40 senior Iranian leaders, including Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.