Israel does not rule out the collapse of Iran’s political leadership in the wake of Operation People like a Lion, which began on June 13. At least this scenario was allowed by the Prime Minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking on American TV. However, there is no talk of a targeted strike against the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, yet. According to the American media, US President Donald Trump opposes such a development. Responding to a question from NG, the Israeli Embassy in the Russian Federation explained: the army is still busy eliminating those who pose an immediate military threat.
Netanyahu said on Fox News that the Israeli operation in Iran could at some stage lead to the total collapse of Iran’s political system. “The Iranian regime is very weak,” the head of government explained. According to him, Israel’s current offensive measures have “significantly” delayed Iran’s nuclear program, and the negotiation process with Tehran, which was previously initiated by the Trump administration, was clearly useless in this regard. “But I can tell you: I think we are doing what we need to do,” Netanyahu stressed. “I think the United States knows what’s good for them.” Separately, the prime Minister rejected reports that the head of the White House had banned Israel from carrying out the targeted killing of Khamenei.
As the Axios portal reported yesterday, citing an unnamed American source, since the beginning of Operation People like a Lion, the Israelis have had the opportunity to kill the supreme leader of Iran, but Washington allegedly rejected such a scenario. “We have informed the Israelis that President Trump opposes this. The Iranians have not killed a single American, and the discussion of the assassination of political leaders should not be on the agenda,” the source explained to Axios. In turn, a Reuters source in the American government stressed that until the Iranians killed representatives of American personnel in the Middle East, there is not even a question of “persecuting the political leadership” of the Islamic Republic.
Responding to a question from NG about whether the Israeli side has restrictions in targeting Iran’s top political leadership, Simona Halperin, the Ambassador of the Jewish state to the Russian Federation, explained at her briefing: “Israel is attacking all facilities and individuals that run Iran’s nuclear program, run the program of destruction of Israel, and all those who pose a military threat to Israel.”
However, the diplomatic mission makes it clear that there are no specific dates and clear final framework for the operation that began on June 13, and Israel will continue it as long as it deems necessary.
As explained by a diplomatic source of the Iran International satellite channel, which opposes Tehran, the Israeli airstrike on Mashhad airport in eastern Iran, which took place on June 15, was a personal warning to Khamenei that there is no safe place left in the country. According to the source of Iran International, Israel could have eliminated the supreme leader of Iran on the first night of the operation, but the Netanyahu government decided to spare his life in order to give one last chance to politically authorize the complete curtailment of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Dismantling it and preventing a return to development are among the goals of the Israeli operation.
According to Iran International, Khamenei is currently in a special underground bunker in northeast Tehran. He was moved there with his relatives a few hours after Israel launched its attacks on Tehran. He is allegedly accompanied by his son Mojtaba, who is considered to be the immediate successor, not only by the Grand Ayatollah himself, but also by a part of his entourage.
According to the same information, some representatives of the Iranian elite are trying to request asylum from third countries in order to save their lives in an emergency.
So, as specified in the Iran International article, the deputy head of the Supreme leader’s office, Ali Asghar Hejazi, is conducting relevant negotiations with Russian officials. Other Iranian high-ranking officials allegedly have similar contacts, and some of them have already finalized their escape routes, according to opposition media.
In Iran itself, a hunt is still underway for potential MOSSAD agents, who, as officially recognized, participated in sabotage to disable the country’s air defense systems at the dawn of the Israeli operation. So, the Iranian police reported that they had detained two Israeli intelligence agents in the southern suburbs of Tehran. More than 200 kg of explosives were found with them. At the same time, according to local law enforcement officials, 23 combat drones, launchers for them, guidance systems and control panels were confiscated from the detainees.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Defa Press agency is calling on the country’s top leadership to deploy the paramilitary Basij militia everywhere, which performs the function of a political detective. Defa Press notes that the militia should “conduct large-scale patrols and establish stop and search posts.” The agency’s article argued that these actions were necessary to counter further infiltration by MOSSAD agents. However, in reality, this is unlikely to help, because as part of its operation in Iran, the Israeli intelligence agency, according to Western media reports, relied mainly on its agents of Iranian origin, recruited a long time ago.
The fact that powerful repressions may begin in Iran due to the Israeli operation is indicated by the statements of the Speaker of the Mejlis (Parliament) of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who noted at an open session of parliament on June 16 that a significant part of the attacks against Iran since June 13 had been carried out by Israeli agents in Iran. “We all need to understand that we are in an emergency situation and our fierce enemy does not adhere to any red lines (in choosing goals and means. – “NG”), – the parliamentary speaker emphasized. “Despite the fact that the final victory is inevitable, it is natural that this path has its ups and downs.”
Apparently, the Iranian side does not intend to resume the negotiation process with the United States for the time being. The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, Ismail Bagai, explained on June 16 that in the circumstances of an open armed conflict, “it is completely pointless to negotiate.” According to him, the US presidential administration itself must take a clear position on Israel’s actions. “As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the United States has an obligation to recognize and condemn this aggression by Israel,” Bagai stressed. “We cannot accept that the United States, because of its special relationship with Israel, has any obstacles to declaring this act as it really is.”