ALBAWABA - Initial reports online say that top Iranian leaders, such as President Masoud Pezeshkian, were among the targets of the first-ever joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday. These reports come from Israeli and regional media.
According to people who were involved in planning the operation, the offensive, which started early Saturday morning, was part of a larger effort aimed at Iran's military and political leadership. Some Israeli news outlets and social media sites said that the strikes were directed at the entire Iranian leadership, including both Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Pezeshkian.
The Iranian government has not yet confirmed that the president was hurt. But today, the office of the Iranian vice president made it clear on social media that Pezeshkian is still alive and not hurt, even though the military is intensifying its attacks and mass bombing is still going on.
After the military action, Iran quickly responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. bases in the area. This caused air raid sirens and other defensive measures to go off in many Gulf states, especially in Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar, where missiles were reportedly intercepted.
Israeli news outlets and blogs, citing unnamed security sources, said that the "presidential palace" and other important places were among the targets of the aerial campaign. However, there has been no independent international confirmation yet of whether Pezeshkian was specifically targeted during today's offensive.
The situation is still very unstable, with different stories coming out of Israeli media, official Iranian statements, and foreign news coverage. Analysts warn people to be careful interpreting early claims about specific high-level targets until more information comes in.
