Israel threatened Iran's leadership on first day of strikes, top Iranian advisor says

TEHRAN: Israel sent threatening messages to several Iranian political, military, and security officials on the first day of its attack on Iran, said a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

AI Brief

Larijani claims Israel targeted senior Iranian leaders to collapse Iran's state structure but underestimated public unity.
He says Iran's missile strength and popular resistance forced Israel to back down and drew in third-party mediators.
Larijani alleges Iran's missiles struck the US Al Udeid base in Qatar, contradicting US statements on the attacks impact.

In an announcement during an appearance on state television on Sunday, Ali Larijani said Israel's goal was not solely to target political and military structures but also to directly threaten Iran's leadership to swiftly dismantle the state structure.

"The enemy calculated that it could quickly dismantle the state structure by targeting senior Iranian officials during a leadership meeting.

"The next step was to threaten the Leader of the Islamic Revolution directly," he said.

Larijani said that Israel and the United States (US) realised that their assumption--that the Iranian people would abandon their government in the midst of conflict--was wrong, adding that the strong unity and resistance of the people forced Israel to reconsider its goals.

According to Larijani, when it became clear on June 21 that Israel would not be able to achieve its goals, third-party mediators stepped in.

He noted that besides the threatening messages sent to some top officials, he received a message saying he had 12 hours to leave Tehran.

"I also received a message saying I had 12 hours to leave Tehran. Otherwise, they said I would share the same fate as the late commander Gholam Ali Rashid and Chief of General Staff Mohammad Bagheri, but I gave them a response befitting someone like (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu," he added.

Larijani emphasised that the most important factors that changed the course of the war were Iran's advanced missile capabilities and the unwavering support of the people.

"Netanyahu's entire effort was focused on forcing the Iranian people to surrender. However, the clarification of Iran's missile power was decisive in the course of the war," he said.

Regarding the attack by Iran on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and a major regional military hub for American forces, Larijani said that this was contrary to what US officials had stated.

"Six missiles, each carrying a 400-kilogramme warhead, had hit the base. We know what happened, but let (US President Donald) Trump be happy with his fantasies," he added.

-- BERNAMA