Israel's defence minister announced on Thursday that a decision to eliminate Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was made in November, and that the operation's timetable was subsequently adjusted before being carried out.
According to the minister, the goal to eliminate Khamenei was set in November during a small, high-level meeting that included the prime minister. The defence minister said the operation was originally scheduled for approximately mid-2026.
The defence minister added that the plan was later communicated to Washington and that the execution was moved forward to roughly January after protests erupted in Iran. He said the killing of Khamenei took place during the opening hours of a U.S.-Israeli air campaign that began on Saturday.
In his remarks, the minister characterized the strike as marking the first time a country's top ruler was assassinated by an airstrike. Beyond those statements, he did not provide further operational details in the comments cited.
Context and chronology
The defence minister described a sequence in which a November decision established the objective, an initial target date was set for mid-2026, and later developments - notably unrest in Iran - prompted a shift to an earlier execution window after coordination with the United States. The minister reported that the death occurred during the initial phase of a bilateral air campaign.
Reporting limits
The information presented reflects the defence minister's account as given to the broadcaster. The statements outline the planning timeline, the change in timing after protests, the sharing of the plan with Washington, and the timing of the strike relative to the air campaign's start. Additional operational or corroborating details were not included in those remarks.
Summary points
- Decision to eliminate Khamenei was made in November and initially aimed for mid-2026.
- The plan was shared with the United States and moved forward to around January after protests in Iran.
- Khamenei was killed during the opening hours of a U.S.-Israeli air campaign; the defence minister described it as the first assassination of a country's top ruler by an airstrike.