Israeli, U.S. strikes reportedly targeted Iran's leadership – analyst

Recent Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran may have been aimed at the country’s top leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Armenian political analyst Varuzhan Geghamyan.

In a social media post on Saturday, he stated the officials were not in Tehran at the time of the attacks.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Iran’s leadership had prepared for such a scenario, with Khamenei already designating four potential successors for the highest offices. U.S. sources said Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, is expected to play a central role in the succession process.

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that it had launched “preventive strikes” on Iran and declared a state of emergency. Both Israel and Iran subsequently closed their airspace. U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington had launched “major operations” against Iran.