By Chika Abanobi
Details have emerged as to how Israel, in collaboration with the United States, tracked and killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran.
The assassination which took place on Saturday, February 28, 2026, also saw senior military and intelligence officers of the country's defence corps and members of his immediate family wiped out within a minute.According to the “Financial Times” of London, Mossad, the highly secretive intelligence agency of Israel, in collaboration with the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), used highly sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) to hack into Tehran’s highly secured traffic cameras put in place for top government officials.
This happened the same way a syndicate used an advanced AI to hack into Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s registration portals, this year, as to be able to register about 100 underage candidates.
But in Iran’s case, the hacking enabled Israel to track, real-time, the movements and location of Khameini and other highly-placed Iranian officials as they scheduled a high-level, security meeting in his palace or compound.
The war cabinet meeting was called together by the Supreme Leader himself because of the emerging security challenges caused by Donald Trump's rhetorics and the gathering armada of aircraft carriers and warships in the Middle Eastern waters, in preparations for military strikes on Iran.
Before this time and for a long time, the movement of the Supreme Leader within the corridors of power has been a closely guarded one known only to a few trusted aides.This was done to ensure his safety as he was the prime target of elimination of the “Zionist enemy” and the Great Satan called the United States.
But the successful hacking by the two powerful intelligence agencies took the wind out of his security sail. Although a joint-air strike by Israel and United States was scheduled to begin that Saturday night, the latest intelligence giving away his movements and location and that of top officials engaged in high-level security meetings prompted the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to hurriedly approve the strike to begin in the daytime, contrary to the earlier warplan.
Shortly thereafter, eagle-eyed fighter pilots of the Israeli Air force emerged like a mirage out of the clear blue sky and struck the venue where the crucial security meeting was taking place, with about 30 missiles, at a go.They were out to ensure that nobody came out of the strike ordeal alive.
And, truly, nobody did. The devastating strikes led to the death, of not only senior military and intelligence officers but also members of Khameini's family. They include his wife, who later died in a hospital, from the mortal wounds she sustained in the attacks, his daughter, his son-in-law, his daughter-in-law and his grandson.Since after his death, there have been speculations as who might be chosen as his successor. There have been conjectures too as how the ongoing war between Iran and Israel/United States might end.
Top contenders in the succession race include: Masoud Pezeshkian, the current President of Iran; Gholam-Hosseim Mohseni-Ejei, the Chief Justice of Iran (like Khamenei, he is said to be a hardliner) and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi. A dyed-in-the-wool Islamic theologian and cleric overseeing the country’s seminary system, he is said to be very close and the most trusted ally of the late Supreme Leader.
Other contender includes: Mojtaba Khamenei. The son of late Khamenei, he is said to be deeply involved with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that influences state policies in Iran. There is also Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder/pioneer of the Islamic Republic that bases its operations on Islamic rules and regulations.
The other contender is Ali Larijani, an astute politician said to be involved in directing/encouraging most of the diplomatic talks that went on between Iran and the United States while reporting back progress to Khamenei who has the final say on the matter.
An 88-member Assembly known as “Assembly of Experts” will meet, sooner or later, to choose, through votes, a Supreme Leader or an Ayatollah from these contenders, to succeed Khamenei who was in power for many decades, from 1989. Among the Shites sect of the Islamic world, an Ayatollah is a title reserved for a cleric who is very versed in the Islamic law studies, theology, rules, regulations and practices that he is feared and regarded as the next-in-command to God or Allah Himself. Hence, his word is never toyed with nor his authority ever questioned.
The big task ahead for the 88-member “Assembly of Experts”, made up of moderates and hardliners, have made analysts to start speculating on what will likely be the outcome of the ongoing war between Iran and Israel/United States.
Codenamed "Operation Rising Lion", a title sources said Israel picked from Numbers 23:24 or "Operation Epic Fury" as codenamed by the United States of America, it has seen the two military superior nations pummeling Iran's politico-military/human infrastructures, in a never-seen-before regional war.
In retaliation, Iran which, at the moment, is under a three-man collegial leadership, has been returning bomb for bomb, missile for missile, explosive for explosive, fire for fire, by unleashing barrages of missiles and military drones not only on Israel and United States but also on its Arab neighbours like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Cyprus in a bid to harm what it terms legitimate targets belonging to United States. It codenamed its response "Operation True Promise 4." From that standpoint, it sees its response as a follow-up or a continuation of its military operations against Israel and United States, in recent past.But how will the “Rising Lion” engaged in “Epic Fury” end their military affair with the “True Promise”? That’s the million-dollar question staring every watcher of event in the Middle East, in the face, right now.
Speculators have painted three likely end-scenarios. 1. It may get to the point where Israel and United States having bombed Iran into submission may cause a popular uprising that could be compared to the one that swept away from power Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, in 1979.(2) If that does not happen because of the strong institutional succession structure in place, then the war may end up with a moderate who is willing to make peace with United States and Israel on the contentious areas, rather than a religious hardliner, taking over the leadership saddle.
(3) Lastly, it may end up creating a power vacuum that might see a replay of what happened in Libya and Iraq and making it possible for splinter factions to engage in civil wars that can create human refugee crisis and possibly lead to the export of terrorism abroad.
Only time will tell which of the three scenarios will eventually come to pass. But Bible scholars have pointed to the significance of the timing of this war, the second between Israel and Iran since the 12-day war of June, 2025.
They say it coincides with the celebration of Purim, the Jewish holiday, held from March 2 to 3, every year, to celebrate the saving of the Jewish people by Queen Esther, a full-detailed account which is captured by the Book of Esther.
The only difference is, it is no longer Queen Esther who is fighting today to save the lives of the Jews or children of Israel from Iran's nuclear bombs, military-grade drones and hypersonic missiles but Netanyahu. And, it is no longer Haman who is plotting to destroy them but Ayatollah Khamenei and his "Assembly of Experts" or like-minded Islamic hardliners.