The New York Times reports CIA tracking of Ayatollah Khamenei’s movements provided key intelligence for the US-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader.

WASHINGTON: CIA intelligence indicating Iran’s supreme leader would attend a meeting of top officials helped guide the timing of the US and Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a New York Times report.

The American intelligence agency had been tracking Khamenei for months and learned a meeting of senior Iranian officials was scheduled for Saturday morning at a leadership compound in central Tehran, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the operation.

Washington and Tel Aviv originally planned to launch strikes at night but adjusted their plan based on the CIA intelligence, which was passed to Israel for execution.

The operation began around 6:00 am Israel time, with long-range missiles striking the compound approximately three hours and forty minutes later, the report stated.

Senior Iranian national security officials were gathered in one building at the compound while Khamenei was in a nearby structure, according to the Times.

Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death in the strikes on the capital, which followed US and Israeli vows to seek regime change in the Islamic republic.

The country’s judiciary confirmed that two top military leaders, Revolutionary Guards chief General Mohammad Pakpour and senior security adviser Ali Shamkhani, were also killed in the bombing.

Iran has since retaliated with reported strikes across the Gulf, including in Abu Dhabi and near regional US military bases, escalating fears of a wider regional conflict.

US President Donald Trump has stated the American military’s bombing campaign will continue “as long as necessary.”

 The Sun Malaysia