Donald Trump launched a campaign against Iran after weeks of pressure from Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Washington Post reports, citing sources. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly advocated strikes, while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the paper, also pressed for a military option in private conversations—even as he continued to publicly endorse a diplomatic approach.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal report that the killing of Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials became possible after the CIA provided Israel with intelligence on his whereabouts to prepare an airstrike.
According to the report, U.S. intelligence tracked the ayatollah’s movements for several months and on Saturday morning detected a meeting of Iran’s key political and military figures at a government complex in Tehran. That intelligence enabled Israel to adjust the timing of the operation and carry out a strike that killed Khamenei and dozens of senior officials.
Israeli aircraft reportedly dropped 30 bombs on the Khamenei complex.