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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was reportedly injured during an Israeli airstrike that struck a secret underground facility in Tehran on June 16, amid a rapidly intensifying 12-day conflict between the two adversaries. The attack, which occurred during a high-level emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, left Pezeshkian with leg injuries as he and other officials escaped through an emergency shaft.
According to Iran's state-affiliated Fars News Agency, six precision bombs hit the underground bunker, strategically sealing all entry and exit points and disabling the ventilation and electrical systems. "They knew exactly where we were," an unnamed Iranian official reportedly told Fars, suggesting possible infiltration by Israeli agents. While the Israeli government has remained silent on the report, analysts point to a significant intelligence breakthrough behind the targeted strike.
Videos circulated on social media during the war appear to confirm multiple strikes near north-west Tehran, aligning with reports that the fourth day of the conflict saw Israel focusing on key leadership targets. Though unverified independently, the Fars report indicates the facility was without power for hours, with officials narrowly escaping what could have been a catastrophic blow to Iran's leadership.
Pezeshkian, who had earlier accused Israel of an assassination attempt, doubled down on the claim last week. "They aimed to decapitate our command structure," he told domestic press, a charge Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz dismissed. "Regime change was not the objective," Katz stated, reinforcing Israel's public position that the war aimed to halt Iran's nuclear advancements.
The broader conflict ignited on June 13 when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, citing intelligence that Tehran was nearing weaponization of its nuclear program. Iran, which maintains its nuclear ambitions are peaceful, responded with aerial attacks. On June 22, the U.S. joined the fray, launching strikes on three nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump declared the sites "obliterated," although some intelligence reports cautioned against overstatement.
Among the most alarming revelations was that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also a target. Israeli forces reportedly lost his trail after he was relocated to a high-security undisclosed location, prompting concerns over how deeply Israeli intelligence had penetrated Iranian security.
The incident has triggered widespread introspection within Iran's defense circles, with one Fars columnist admitting, "We were paralyzed in the first 24 hours." As Tehran begins investigating possible breaches, the political and strategic implications of the near-decapitation remain profound.
