Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in a powerful missile strike carried out with Israel’s advanced Blue Sparrow weapon system, a missile capable of travelling to the edge of space before striking its target at extremely high speed.
The attack was part of a coordinated Israeli military operation targeting senior Iranian leadership in Tehran. According to reports, the missile struck Khamenei’s heavily guarded compound on Pasteur Street, where several high-ranking officials had gathered for a meeting. Iranian state media confirmed the cleric’s death the following morning.
Missile That Travels Near Space
The Blue Sparrow missile follows what experts call a quasi-ballistic trajectory. After launch, the missile climbs high above the Earth’s atmosphere before descending sharply toward its target. This steep trajectory allows the weapon to strike with very little warning, making interception by air defence systems extremely difficult.
The missile is part of Israel’s Sparrow missile family, which also includes the Black Sparrow and Silver Sparrow systems. Originally designed to simulate Soviet-era Scud missiles during missile defence tests, the system was later adapted for operational strike missions.
The weapon is about 6.5 metres long, weighs roughly 1.9 tonnes, and can travel nearly 2,000 kilometres. It is typically launched from fighter aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. After launch, a booster rocket propels the missile toward the edge of space before it separates and re-enters the atmosphere at high speed to hit its target.
Operation Targeting Iran’s Leadership
The strike was reportedly part of a broader Israeli campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, aimed at eliminating key Iranian political and military leaders. Around 30 precision-guided munitions, including several Blue Sparrow missiles, were fired toward Khamenei’s compound and nearby facilities in Tehran.
Videos circulating on social media showed thick smoke rising from multiple locations in the Iranian capital, while satellite imagery later indicated severe damage to buildings inside the supreme leader’s residential complex.
Intelligence Operation Years In The Making
Reports suggest the strike followed years of intelligence gathering by Israel’s spy agency Mossad along with the cyber-intelligence unit Unit 8200.
Israeli intelligence agencies allegedly monitored traffic cameras, communication networks and security patterns around the compound to build a detailed “pattern of life” of Iran’s leadership.
Khamenei was believed to spend most nights inside a deep underground bunker beneath his residence. Israeli planners reportedly waited for a rare moment when he and several senior commanders were gathered above ground for a meeting.
Shortly before the strike, cyber units are believed to have disrupted mobile networks around the compound, preventing security forces from receiving warnings before the missiles struck.
The attack reportedly killed several senior figures from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps along with Khamenei. Some reports also suggest members of the supreme leader’s family who were present at the meeting may have been among the casualties.