Israel says it has destroyed an aircraft belonging to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s late supreme leader, calling it a “strategic asset” at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
Iran’s Radio Liberty service reports that it could not confirm the claim, given wartime conditions and internet outages.
In a message published in Persian on Platform X, the Israeli military said the aircraft was used by Khamenei and other senior regime officials, as well as members of Iran’s Armed Forces, to facilitate military procurement and manage communications via domestic and international flights with countries of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” Iran’s network of allies in the Middle East region.
The Israeli military also said the destruction of the aircraft would damage the ability of Iran’s leadership to coordinate with allied countries, build its military capabilities and rebuild its forces.
The joint United States-Israeli operation against Iran began on 28 February and resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a significant number of other senior Iranian regime officials.
Iran’s military has attacked not only Israel or US military installations in the region with missiles and drones, but also many of its regional neighbours, which Tehran considers allies of the United States.
On 8 March, Iran’s state media reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been appointed the country’s new supreme leader.