The US joined an Israeli assault after intel suggested Iran’s top clerics and commanders could be hit at once
Donald Trump launched attacks against Iran on Saturday as part of a joint operation with Israel after they developed intelligence that they could simultaneously target the country’s leaders and mullahs, according to two people familiar with deliberations.
The Israelis had been tracking the movements of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and determined there was a window of opportunity to launch attacks as they convened, the people said.
The thinking behind decapitating the Iranian regime was a belief that while the Iranian revolutionary guard might be deeply loyal to Khamenei, in the event of his death they would not back any of his successors to the same extent, the people said.
The two people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of an ongoing operation. Another person briefed on Israeli military preparations for the operation added that “there were several gatherings that morning, and they targeted all of them.”
