According to a report by The Telegraph, Israeli ballistic missiles struck the compound soon after Mojtaba left the building, killing Ali Khamenei along with dozens of senior officials and relatives.
Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei survived a US-Israeli missile strike by seconds after stepping out of his compound just before it was hit, according to a report by The Telegraph.
The strike killed his father, former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior officials and relatives, The Telegraph reported, citing a purportedly leaked audio from a meeting between Iranian officials.
But he stepped out into the garden moments before the missiles struck the compound, the report said.
“God’s will was that Mojtaba had to go out to the yard to do something and then return,” Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Khamenei’s office, reportedly told Iranian officials in a private meeting cited by The Telegraph.
“He was outside and was heading upstairs when they struck the building with a missile,” Hosseini reportedly said.
HOW MOJTABA ESCAPED DEATH
According to the report, Israeli ballistic missiles struck the compound soon after Mojtaba left the building, killing Ali Khamenei along with dozens of senior officials and relatives.
The leaked audio suggested at least three missiles were used in the strike on the compound. One missile hit the section where Ali Khamenei had been located, while another struck Mojtaba’s residence on an upper floor, the report said.
Hosseini said Mojtaba escaped the attack with only a minor leg injury.
GRAPHIC DETAILS FROM LEAKED AUDIO
The leaked recording also described the devastating impact of the strike. Iran’s military chief Mohammad Shirazi was reportedly killed in the attack, with Hosseini describing the destruction caused by the missile.
“He was blown to pieces – they could find nothing from him,” Hosseini said in the audio cited by The Telegraph. “At the end they found a few kilos of flesh and identified it as his body.”
The report said another missile struck the residence of Mojtaba’s brother-in-law, Misbah al-Huda Bagheri Kani, inside the compound. “The missile was so powerful that it went downstairs and cut his head in half,” Hosseini said.
QUESTIONS OVER MOJTABA’S CONDITION
The report surfaced amid speculations about Mojtaba’s condition, as the new supreme leader has not appeared publicly since the conflict began. His only message, broadcast on Iranian state television, vowed revenge for the blood of martyrs, fuelling speculation about the extent of his injuries.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that American officials were unsure about the Iranian leader’s status. “A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured other people are saying he’s dead,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“We haven’t seen him at all,” he added. “We don’t know if he’s dead or not.”
(With inputs from agencies)
