Khamenei was transferred to a safe place in Iran following the assassination of Nasrallah

Following the assassination of Nasrallah – Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei was moved to a particularly secure hiding place, it was reported today (Saturday). In the last day, real panic and confusion have been registered in Tehran following the elimination of the one who is considered to be the most powerful factor in the axis of the terrorist organizations that have been established over the past decades.The Reuters news agency reported that Iran’s leader Khamenei was moved to a secure location, amid fears of the assassination of Hezbollah’s secretary-general. It was also reported that Iran continues to maintain contact with Hezbollah in order to discuss and coordinate “the next step” following the escalation.

Khamenei’s office issued an official statement in his name in response “about the events in Lebanon”, but it is evident that it did not produce a particularly significant message. “The terrorist regime in Israel is now trying to implement in Lebanon the stupid policy it applied in Gaza,” Khamenei’s message reads. “The Zionist criminals should know that they are too small to significantly damage Hezbollah’s structure in Lebanon. All Muslims should stand by Hezbollah, which is leading the resistance.”

“The terrorist gang that leads Israel has learned nothing from its last year’s war in Gaza,” Khamenei continued. “The fate of the entire region will be determined by the resistance forces led by Hezbollah.” He added: “Lebanon will make the invading enemy regret his actions.”

The Foreign and Security Committee in the Majles, the parliament in Tehran, convened a special emergency hearing today following the assassination of Nasrallah, and in Iran it is reported that the committee announced that they demand a “hard and decisive response” to the assassination. Yesterday it was reported in the New York Times that last night, hours after the assassination, Khamenei convened the Supreme National Security Council in Iran at his official residence.

At the same time, in Iran today the voices referring to the possibility of progress in the nuclear program are multiplying, due to the desire to promote a new deterrence against Israel. Dr. Raz Zimet from the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) and the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University wrote that “this reflects well the sense of surprise, failure and the need for a re-evaluation of the strategy in relation to deterrence, the seizure of the couriers and the nuclear”.

And meanwhile in Iran: a new wave of statements and interpretations (so far I haven’t seen any from official officials) regarding the need for nuclear deterrence in view of the failure of conventional deterrence in light of the events in Niyya and Lebanon. It is of course not easy for many reasons, including the fear of a reaction, but it reflects well the feeling of surprise, failure and the need for evaluation… https://t.co/M9ArHywZQn

— Raz Zimmt (@RZimmt) September 28, 2024

According to some estimates, there were also Iranian officials from the Revolutionary Guards, and possibly even senior officials, at the Hezbollah headquarters that was bombed yesterday as part of the assassination of Nasrallah. Despite this, at the moment there is no reliable report of harm to Iranians in the attack in Beirut. The news agencies in Iran rushed to publish messages yesterday evening that make it clear that the condition of Ismail Ka’ani, commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guards, is “in good health”.