Israel and the United States launched a coordinated strategic offensive against Iran, reportedly neutralizing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top military leadership in an effort to collapse the current regime.
In a massive joint operation labeled “Roaring Lion,” Israeli and U.S. forces launched extensive airstrikes across Iran on Saturday, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a wide array of senior military and political figures, including the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi initially downplayed the losses and claimed Khamenei survived, Israeli officials and multiple news outlets reported the destruction of strategic command centers in Tehran and advanced aerial defense systems in western Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the strikes as a decisive effort to “remove the yoke of tyranny” and dismantle the Ayatollah’s regime, while the IDF issued urgent evacuation warnings to Iranian civilians near military sites. Amidst the escalation, which included retaliatory missile launches toward Israel and reported blasts near U.S. bases in Bahrain and the UAE, Mossad launched a Farsi-language outreach campaign to the Iranian public as the region entered a state of emergency.