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Israeli strike modeled on Nasrallah assassination operation injured Iran president: Report
The objective of the strike was to obstruct evacuation routes and limit airflow, same as an earlier Israeli operation that assassinated Hezbollah's Nasrallah.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly sustained a leg injury during an Israeli airstrike that targeted a high-level meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council in Tehran on June 16, mirroring an earlier Israeli operation designed to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
According to Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the strike allegedly hit a building in western Tehran while senior Iranian leaders—including President Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei—were convened in the lower floors for a council session.
Iran International news portal, citing the IRGC-linked outlet, said in a report that six bombs or missiles were launched that morning, aimed specifically at the building’s entry and exit points.
Op similar to Nasrallah style assassination
The objective, the report claimed, was to obstruct evacuation routes and limit airflow, same as an earlier Israeli operation that assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon's Beirut in September last year.
The explosion reportedly knocked out power to the floor, but the officials were able to flee through a pre-prepared emergency hatch. “President Pezeshkian and some other officials sustained minor leg injuries while exiting,” iranintl.com quoted the Fars news report.
Due to the apparent precision of the attack, authorities are now probing whether an insider may have leaked details about the council’s location and schedule.
While the Fars report did not disclose the specific address of the meeting, Iran International has reported that the strike took place near Shahrak-e Gharb in western Tehran.
In a recent appearance on state television, senior IRGC General Mohsen Rezaei acknowledged the attack, stating: “Israel struck six points at the location where the Supreme National Security Council was meeting, but not the slightest harm was done to any of its members.”
President Pezeshkian has directly blamed Israel for the attempt on his life. “They did try, yes,” he said in an interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson. “They acted accordingly, but they failed.”
Iran and Israel ended a massive drone and missile conflict recently, which started with an Israeli attack on June 13 to stop the Iranian nuclear programme from progressing.
Over the course of more than 10 days, the Israeli campaign against Iran killed senior military commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of civilians, with the total death toll currently at 1,060, according to Iranian officials.
Retaliatory Iranian drone and missile barrages killed at least 28 people in Israel during the war, according to official figures.
