For months, Israeli and American intelligence agencies — including the CIA — had been secretly watching Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for just the right moment. “Israel regularly monitors all of the leaders of its main adversaries in one way or another,” an Israeli military official said. In the meeting, Trump said he would support a renewed Israeli military effort to take out missile sites. Meanwhile, a parade of top Israeli military and intelligence officials were flying to Washington to make plans. By then, intelligence officials had already identified the Saturday morning meeting in Tehran that would become the centerpiece of the eventual operation.

Source: CNN March 01, 2026 21:13 UTC