The US and Israel reportedly tracked Khamenei's movements and determined there was a narrow window to strike while senior Iranian leaders were convened together, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

Khamenei, who had served as supreme leader since 1989, was a conservative Islamic scholar who consolidated an iron grip on power over decades, mastering what observers called the art of pitting enemies against each other. His rule spanned the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War through decades of nuclear brinkmanship and proxy conflicts across the Middle East.

The succession question now dominates analysis. Iran's Assembly of Experts is constitutionally responsible for selecting a new supreme leader, but with much of the senior leadership reportedly eliminated in a single strike, the process faces unprecedented complications. Analysts point to several possible successors, though the simultaneous loss of military and clerical leadership leaves the path forward deeply uncertain.

Among those also reportedly killed were three of Khamenei's top military commanders, effectively decapitating both the political and military leadership in one operation.