The Digester

Report: Israel ordered killings of Iran's top leaders, including Khamenei, after Oct. 7

Mar 3rd 2026

USA TODAY and other outlets report that Israel resolved to eliminate Iran’s top leaders after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, and that coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes beginning Feb. 28 targeted Iran’s leadership and strategic programs.

  • USA TODAY reports Israel decided to target Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian and Iran-backed leaders after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
  • Planning for the operation reportedly intensified after a 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025 and Netanyahu gave a formal order in November 2025.
  • U.S. and Israeli officials say a coordinated U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign began on Feb. 28 that killed Khamenei and several other top Iranian figures.
  • Officials say the strikes aimed to eliminate leadership, degrade ballistic missile capabilities and severely hamper Iran’s nuclear progress.
  • The New York Times and Financial Times reported that the operation used shared intelligence, including tracking leaders at a Tehran compound and surveillance of their daily patterns.
  • These accounts rely on anonymous sources and reporting by multiple outlets and have not been independently confirmed by Iranian authorities.

Sources

usatoday.com