Why Saturday morning? Inside the joint United States–Israel operation strategy that killed Iran's supreme leader Khamenei

Visuals from attack during Iran-US-Israel war

A high-level gathering involving Ali Khamenei and his senior advisers is believed to have triggered a joint military operation by the United States and Israel against Iran, according to a Reuters report citing sources familiar with the matter.

US officials said the decision to strike at the beginning of the meeting was driven by the need to maintain complete surprise. There were concerns that the Iranian leader might go into hiding if he received any prior warning.

Khamenei was expected to hold the advisory meeting in Tehran on Saturday evening. However, Israeli intelligence reportedly detected that the meeting had already begun earlier that morning, prompting commanders to advance the timing of the operation. The exact location of the meeting was not confirmed.

The attack initially targeted Khamenei’s heavily guarded compound in Tehran, which was later confirmed through satellite imagery to have been destroyed. The strike represented a significant escalation in tensions surrounding Iran’s 46-year-old theocratic system.

Following the assault, Iran launched a large-scale drone and missile counterattack aimed at Israel and several regional countries including Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Kuwait. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) promised revenge and vowed severe punishment against what it described as the “murderers” of Khamenei.

The IRGC warned of what it called the “most ferocious offensive operation in history” against the United States and Israel, adding that the nation’s “hand of revenge” would continue to pursue those responsible.