During Israel’s recent Operation Rising Lion—a major airstrike campaign against Iran’s nuclear and military sites—American intelligence intercepted an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to U.S. officials, Israeli forces informed the U.S. of a credible opportunity to eliminate Khamenei as the operation unfolded in mid‑June.
President Trump, fully briefed on the proposal, declined to authorize the mission. He reportedly argued that since no Americans had been killed by Iran, this was not a time to target political leadership. He insisted that assassination of top foreign leaders is outside U.S. protocol unless American lives are directly threatened.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and national security officials publicly denied that any such plan was advanced, dismissing the story as misinformation. Meanwhile, military actions between Israel and Iran have continued unabated, marked by missile exchanges and growing regional tensions.