The strike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday morning, March 2, 2026, was executed by the U.S. and Israel after receiving crucial intelligence hours prior, according to BBC. For months, they had awaited an opportunity when senior Iranian officials, including Khamenei, would gather in central Tehran, a moment identified through advanced tracking technology, potentially monitoring other officials' movements. The attack, launched around 9:40 a.m. local time, involved Israeli fighter jets firing 30 powerful bombs at the complex, possibly targeting an underground bunker. The operation, which also damaged President Masoud Pezeshkian's office, was intended as the start of a broader campaign, with intelligence reportedly originating from the CIA and passed to Israel. Iran confirmed the deaths of three senior defense officials, including Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani.