In a dramatic turn of events, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received what some describe as a divine retribution.
Israel recently launched a high-powered ballistic missile that soared to the edge of space before descending with precision to target Iran’s supreme leader and several of his key officials last Saturday.
The missile, known as the Blue Sparrow, boasts a range of 1,240 miles and is designed to leave Earth’s atmosphere before making contact. It was integral to Israel’s Operation Epic Fury, which resulted in the deaths of Khamenei and his associates.
The force of the missile’s impact was so great that fragments were discovered as far away as western Iraq, according to reports from Israeli sources.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. Iran time, Israeli F-15 jets alongside other aircraft executed the operation, launching 30 missiles, including Blue Sparrows, targeting the core of the Ayatollah’s compound just two hours later.
The missile’s unique ability to exit and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere renders it nearly impossible to intercept, effectively bypassing Iran’s defense systems.
Blue Sparrows are typically launched from fighter jets, with their booster rockets taking them to space so the bombs may hover over their intended target.
The Blue Sparrow was originally designed to evade air defense systems given their high speed, with Israel believed to have used them during the 2024 assault on Iran.
The assault on Khamenei’s compound came after the Israeli government offered Iranian leaders a false sense of security leading up to the airstrikes.
On the Friday leading up to the attack, officials deliberately gave the impression that its military was standing down for the weekend, an Israel Defense Forces official told reporters Thursday.
“We released photos and information suggesting that IDF staff and senior command were going home for Shabbat dinner,” said the official, who did not want to be named, according to the BBC.
But instead IDF leaders returned to work in the hours before launching deadly airstrikes with the United States that took out Khamenei and a rash of other top leaders.
While the strikes were originally planned for nighttime, the schedule was shifted to exploit a Saturday morning meeting of Iran’s top officials, people familiar with the operation told the New York Times.
As the initial wave of strikes showered over the rival nation, both the IDK and US war rooms were synchronized in real time to make on-the-fly adjustments based on the Iranian response, the IDF official said Thursday.
The assault saw the IDF simultaneously disrupt around a dozen mobile phone towers near Khameneir’s compound to keep his security from receiving any possible warnings.
The attack was put into motion because Iran’s nuclear program was being moved too deep underground to be dismantled by conventional means and the escalation of Iranian ballistic missile production, the IDF official added.
