Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused Israel of carrying out a covert airstrike targeting him and other top Iranian leaders, but which resulted in several injuries to officials despite Tehran’s claim that their mission had failed.
Pezeshkian revealed in an interview with U.S. media personality Tucker Carlson that Israeli forces bombed a meeting held June 16 in western Tehran that targeted president, speaker of parliament, and judiciary chief; these three figures attended were hit with bombs but failed to do damage; Pezeshkian noted: “They tried, yes… But their plan did not succeed”. [EA WorldView; www.ndtv.com; New York Post].
Iranian semi-official Fars News Agency and IRGC-affiliated outlets reported multiple missiles were dropped on Pezeshkian, leaving him with minor leg injuries and several high-ranking officials being wounded as a result of this event. The Times of India’s coverage is +2/yrn yntrnshnl | Iran International is +2; ours +2.
Western news sources describe this attack as part of a 12-day military escalation between two nations.
Analysts compare this attempted attack to an operation “Nasrallah-style,” similar to the unsuccessful assassination attempt against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, yet note its broad target list and precision targeting (EA WorldView +15; El HuffPost +15 and Financial Times both support this comparison).
Tehran stressed that despite being carefully planned, its mission had been derailed due to intelligence warnings within Iran.
Israel has not acknowledged responsibility, though Pezeshkian claims reaffirmed in a Financial Times report. According to this piece, Pezeshkian’s claims added more detail to previous Iranian accusations; an interview also brought more light onto these matters for Pezeshkian and New York Post reporters.
The incident comes amid intensifying Israeli attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities and senior military figures, while Iran responded with long-range missile strikes against Israeli sites, signaling one of the most dangerous intensifications in Israeli-Iranian hostilities since 2014. (Sources: Times of Israel +15 | Financial Times | The Times of India).
Iran recently reported the deaths of over 30 military leaders and 11 nuclear scientists due to Israeli strikes conducted during June, underscoring Iran’s claim of targeted hostility towards it by Israel. (Sources: The Guardian/Reuters)
This latest allegation escalated tensions significantly. Iran officials decried the strike as an open violation of sovereignty and an unsafe development for regional stability. Pezeshkian cautioned that such attacks may obstruct prospects for dialogue on Iran’s nuclear pursuits; see The Guardian +13 for coverage or Reuters +13 coverage respectively.
International reactions were mixed; Western capitals, concerned that an escalated conflict might de-escalate, while Tehran maintained that U.S. support — whether implicit or explicit–could interfere with mutual trust building efforts, especially related to nuclear discussions.
IF confirmed, this assassination attempt represents a dramatic expansion beyond cyber operations and covert killings of scientists to direct strikes targeting sovereign leaders. Israel has long been suspected of targeting Iran’s nuclear personnel and key regional allies – any successful attack on President Pezeshkian would mark an unprecedented increase in regional conflict. If confirmed by reports like YouTube +15 The Times of Israel +15 The Times of India = 14 This would mark a dramatic escalation beyond cyber operations or killing scientists with covert methods to strikes against sovereign leaders directly aimed at sovereign leaders directly striking against sovereign leaders – and would create unprecedented regional conflict within 15
Iran has lodged complaints with the UN and international bodies over this alleged violation, prompting diplomatic observers to believe this will harden Iran’s position within nuclear negotiations and prompt further demands for defensive measures from Tehran. Israeli officials have neither confirmed or denied involvement, although past statements by top officials revealed earlier plans targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were scrapped by former U.S. President Trump – something no Israeli officials have confirmed or denied as yet.
As both nations seek to avoid direct confrontation, the threat of covert war looms large – raising stakes for regional stability and global diplomatic efforts.