Ali Khamenei reportedly in a bunker in Lavizan — details emerge about where Iran’s supreme leader is hiding

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family have been hiding in an underground bunker in Lavizan, located in northeastern Tehran, to seek shelter after Israel launched its attacks on Tehran early Friday, reported Iran International.

Israel Sends a Message: "Nowhere is Safe"

However, a diplomatic insider in the Middle East of Iran International revealed that Israel also for the first time targeted the city of Mashhad on Sunday and conducted an airstrike, which is located 2,300 kilometres from the Jewish State, to send a warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader that he is not safe anywhere in the country, as per the report.

Ali Khamenei Hiding in Tehran Bunker Once Again

According to Iran Internation's sources, all the members of Khamenei's family including his son Mojtaba are with him in Lavizan. While, the Supreme Leader and his family had sought refuge in the same bunker, even during the previous operations against Israel, True Promise 1 and True Promise 2, as per the report. But during that time, only Mojtaba was by his side, and two of his sons, Masoud and Mostafa, were not with him in the bunker, reported Iran International.

Could Israel Have Attacked Ali Khamenei?

Iran Internation's insider highlighted that Israel could have killed Khamenei on the first night of the Rising Lion operation against Iran, but the Israeli government wanted to keep him alive to give him a final chance to decide on completely dismantling the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment program, reported Iran International.

Donald Trump’s Ultimatum to Ali Khamenei

Meanwhile, even though US president Donald Trump had given Khamenei a two-month deadline to agree to dismantle Iran’s enrichment program, yet the Supreme Leader chose to ignore Trump's and Israel’s warnings, according to the report.

The insider pointed out that now with the beginning of Israel’s airstrikes, an opportunity has been offered once again for Khamenei to realistically assess Israel’s military capability and order the dismantling of the enrichment program, reported Iran International.

FAQs

Why is Khamenei in hiding now?
Because Israel launched major airstrikes on Tehran and other cities, including Mashhad, signaling that no place in Iran is beyond reach, as per the report.

Could Israel have killed Khamenei already?
Yes, according to the report, Israeli forces had the opportunity but chose not to as they wanted to give him an opportunity for negotiation.