Injured Iranian Supreme Leader Reportedly Secretly Airlifted to Russia for Surgery

Recently appointed Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly been secretly airlifted to Moscow by a Russian military plane for urgent medical treatment, Al-Jarida reported on March 16.

The highly classified transfer was deemed necessary due to Khamenei’s severe health condition and the escalating security threats within Iran. A high-ranking source close to the Supreme Leader revealed that he underwent a successful surgery upon arriving in Russia and is currently recovering in a private hospital located within a presidential palace.

Khamenei sustained extensive injuries to his left side on February 28 during the opening wave of US-Israeli airstrikes, which specifically targeted the compound housing the Supreme Leader’s residence and office in Tehran, according to Al-Jarida.

Iranian security services reportedly approved the relocation due to intense fears that Israeli intelligence could track local doctors and specialists to pinpoint Khamenei’s location amid Israel’s public declaration that it would target the new leader.

The medical transfer was personally proposed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Following careful consideration by Iranian officials, Khamenei was flown out that evening, accompanied by a team of Iranian doctors to work alongside Russian medical staff.

Meanwhile, growing skepticism surrounds the Supreme Leader’s current capacity to govern. An Iranian source close to the reformist camp told Al-Jarida that Khamenei’s first official message since the strikes was likely authored by Ali Larijani, Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council, noting striking similarities to Larijani’s previous statements.

The complete absence of public appearances or audio recordings from Khamenei has only fueled suspicions that he was not even informed of the address.

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In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly hinted that his government possesses concrete intelligence regarding Khamenei’s exact whereabouts and medical condition. When asked about the Iranian Supreme Leader during a press conference on March 12, Netanyahu firmly stated, “I will not provide him with life insurance.”

Israeli intelligence believes Khamenei’s injuries may be far more critical than Tehran initially admitted, though Tel Aviv reportedly lacked definitive confirmation of his departure to Russia at the time of the press conference, Al-Jarida reported.

Moscow has frequently served as a destination for treatment or refuge for authoritarian leaders and former heads of state from allied countries. Figures such as Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro have reportedly relied on Russian facilities or protection during crises, highlighting Russia’s role as a safe haven for leaders within its geopolitical orbit.

The targeted assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 relied on an unprecedented breach of Iran’s domestic security network. Israeli intelligence and the CIA executed a daytime precision strike on the Supreme Leader’s Tehran compound after hacking nearly all of the city’s traffic cameras.

A previous report detailed how operatives combined this hijacked video feed with mobile phone interceptions to build a comprehensive “pattern of life” for Khamenei’s security detail. During the attack, electronic warfare disabled local cell towers on Pasteur Street, blinding the bodyguards and preventing any advance warning of the incoming munitions.

Now, as the Islamic Republic struggles to replace its decapitated leadership, the regime frantically attempts to purge its compromised intelligence apparatus while bracing for further US and Israeli operations aimed at crippling its remaining command structure.

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