Faced with the threat of a possible assassination, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei now communicates with his commanders through a trusted aide rather than directly Electronic communications have been suspended to make them harder to track, according to three Iranian officials familiar with their emergency war plans.
Khamenei is reported to be safely hiding in a bunker and has appointed alternatives to several military commanders to ensure that if his trusted officers are killed, they can be replaced immediately. These officials also revealed that Ayatollah Khamenei has also decided the names of three Supreme Leaders, who can become his successor in case of his death.
It is being told that the names of Alireza Arafi Ali Asghar Hejazi, Hashim Hussaini Bushari, Ali Akbar Velayati are included in this list. The special thing about these names is that the name of his son Mujtaba Khamenei is not there. Earlier, Khamenei’s son was considered to be his successor. This move is being considered as the biggest indication of the crisis looming over his three-decade-long rule.
Khamenei has taken a series of extraordinary steps to protect the Islamic Republic since Israel launched attacks last Friday. Although the conflict is only a week old, these Israeli attacks are considered to be the biggest military attack on Iran since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Tehran, the capital of Iran, has been the worst hit by these attacks.
The damage caused by Israeli attacks in Tehran in just a few days is said to be more than the damage caused by Saddam Hussein in the entire eight-year war. However, after the initial setback, Iran has now reorganized and is carrying out retaliatory attacks every day. In these retaliatory attacks, a hospital, Haifa oil refinery, religious places and houses have been targeted.