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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Khamenei in hiding: How Iran shields its leader from Israeli strikes
Donald Trump is said to have already vetoed an Israeli opportunity to kill Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Pictured) since the conflict erupted on Friday. But Tehran's 86-year-old supreme leader will still be fearing assassination, hiding out in 'as secure a location as they can manage' as Israel continues to target high ranking officials with deadly precision strikes across the country, onlookers believe. Speaking on the BBC 's Newscast over the weekend, The Economist's defence editor, Shashank Joshi, assessed that Khamenei would likely avoid any public appearances as his remaining loyalists work desperately to keep him out of Israel's crosshairs. 'I think they'll be concerned that Israel has clearly penetrated them inside out, so they will be looking to all possible corners from how to keep him safe, perhaps moving him from place to place,' he said. Israel has already taken out top ranking officials including the chief of staff of the Iranian military and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Chiefs (IRGC) since Friday. A strike killing Khamenei would be deeply controversial and create untold chaos within Iran's political system. It would also depend on Israeli intelligence being able to locate the supreme leader - and the air force to deliver the crucial blow. 'Operation Rising Lion', believed to have been years in the making, has seen Israel cripple entrenched nuclear facilities. But the Israeli Air Force (IAF) lacks the huge bunker busters to needed to destroy Iran's most elusive sites deep underground. Khamenei was last pictured in a televised address from an undisclosed location on Friday, June 13, standing between Iran's flag and a portrait of former supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the country through revolution in 1979. 'Given the current Israeli threat, the Israeli defence minister saying Tehran will burn if you attack our cities, Netanyahu's threat of regime change, the clinical precision attacks on the top generals [on Friday], I think it is unlikely Khamenei will risk coming out,' Mr Joshi told the programme. He cited the recent examples of Israel assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in assessing that Khamenei would have 'legitimate' fears he is a target of assassination. While Israeli strikes so far have done much to undermine Iran's military and nuclear programme, removing Khamenei 'could cause total upheaval and chaos', he said. Two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to assassinate Khamenei as both sides continued to trade blows. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched its attack. They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan. Trump has not commented on the report. Netanyahu did not directly confirm or deny the claims when interviewed by Fox News, but did say: 'There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened and I'm not going to get into that.' Israel has dealt significant damage to Iran's military capabilities since Friday, killing Mohammad Bagheri, the military's chief of staff, and Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Then on Sunday, Netanyahu said that the IRGC's intelligence chief, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy had been targeted in a strike. The administration has not been overly shy about killing non-military figures, either; Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Khamenei, died from wounds sustained in Israel's initial attack on Friday, Iranian state media confirmed on Saturday. An Israeli official told CBS News that 'in principle', however, Israel does not 'kill political leaders'. 'We are focused on nuclear and military,' the unnamed official said. 'I don't think anyone making decisions about those programmes should be living free and easy.' Experts following the burgeoning conflict believe that the strikes on key figures in the country's military chain of command and its nuclear scientists suggest Israel is 'hoping to see regime change' in Iran. Michael Singh of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former senior official under President George W. Bush told Reuters that Iran 'would like to see the people of Iran rise up', adding that the limited civilian casualties in the initial round of attacks also spoke to a broader aim. Hours after Israel launched its first wave of strikes, Netanyahu appealed directly to the Iranian people, saying in a video address that 'the Islamic regime, which has oppressed us for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel'. Israel's objective was to remove the nuclear and ballistic missile threat, he said, but added: 'As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom. 'The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker. This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard.' While Netanyahu has called for a change in Iran's government, including in September, Israel has not said it is actively interfering to bring about such a change. 'As a democratic country, the State of Israel believes that it is up to the people of a country to shape their national politics, and choose their government,' the Israeli embassy in Washington told Reuters. 'The future of Iran can only be determined by the Iranian people.' Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five people had been killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of the conflict. Powerful explosions, likely from Israel's defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles, rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn. Plumes of black smoke rose into the sky over the major coastal city. The latest salvo comes after a weekend of escalating tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran that raised fears of a wider, more dangerous regional war. Iran on Sunday said Israel struck oil refineries, killed the intelligence chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and hit population centers in intensive aerial attacks. Iranian parliamentarians are now said to be preparing a bill that could push Tehran toward exiting the nuclear proliferation treaty that binds it to cooperate with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran could leave the treaty, while reiterating Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons. 'In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament,' the ministry's spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, when asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT. The NPT, which Iran ratified in 1970, guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forego atomic weapons and cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. Critics accuse Israel of hypocrisy over its stance on nuclear weapons. The country is believed to have nuclear weapons, but maintains a policy of ambiguity. It is not a signatory to the NPT and is not bound by the legally binding obligations of the treaty.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Where is Khamenei? How Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader is being moved from bunker to bunker by his security team amid mounting fears Israel may try to assassinate him
Donald Trump is said to have already vetoed an Israeli opportunity to kill Iran 's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the conflict erupted on Friday. But Tehran's 86-year-old supreme leader will still be fearing assassination, hiding out in 'as secure a location as they can manage' as Israel continues to target high ranking officials with deadly precision strikes across the country, onlookers believe. Speaking on the BBC 's Newscast over the weekend, The Economist's defence editor, Shashank Joshi, assessed that Khamenei would likely avoid any public appearances as his remaining loyalists work desperately to keep him out of Israel's crosshairs. 'I think they'll be concerned that Israel has clearly penetrated them inside out, so they will be looking to all possible corners from how to keep him safe, perhaps moving him from place to place,' he said. Sources within Iran told London-based Persian-language outlet Iran International that Khamenei was moved to an underground bunker in Lavizan, in northeastern Tehran, in the hours after Israel began its attacks on the capital at the end of last week. He is believed to be holed up with his family, including his son, Mojtaba - who has been pegged as a potential successor to the ageing supreme leader. Israel has already taken out top ranking officials including the chief of staff of the Iranian military and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Chiefs (IRGC) since Friday. A strike killing Khamenei would be deeply controversial and create untold chaos within Iran's political system. It would also depend on Israeli intelligence being able to locate the supreme leader - and the air force to deliver the crucial blow. 'Operation Rising Lion', believed to have been years in the making, has seen Israel cripple entrenched nuclear facilities. But the Israeli Air Force (IAF) lacks the huge bunker busters to needed to destroy Iran's most elusive sites deep underground. Khamenei was last pictured in a televised address from an undisclosed location on Friday, June 13, standing between Iran's flag and a portrait of former supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the country through revolution in 1979. 'Given the current Israeli threat, the Israeli defence minister saying Tehran will burn if you attack our cities, Netanyahu's threat of regime change, the clinical precision attacks on the top generals [on Friday], I think it is unlikely Khamenei will risk coming out,' Mr Joshi told the programme. He cited the recent examples of Israel assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in assessing that Khamenei would have 'legitimate' fears he is a target of assassination. While Israeli strikes so far have done much to undermine Iran's military and nuclear programme, removing Khamenei 'could cause total upheaval and chaos', he said. Two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to assassinate Khamenei as both sides continued to trade blows. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched its attack. They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan. Trump has not commented on the report. Netanyahu did not directly confirm or deny the claims when interviewed by Fox News, but did say: 'There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened and I'm not going to get into that.' Israel has dealt significant damage to Iran's military capabilities since Friday, killing Mohammad Bagheri, the military's chief of staff, and Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Then on Sunday, Netanyahu said that the IRGC's intelligence chief, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy had been targeted in a strike. The administration has not been overly shy about killing non-military figures, either; Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Khamenei, died from wounds sustained in Israel's initial attack on Friday, Iranian state media confirmed on Saturday. An Israeli official told CBS News that 'in principle', however, Israel does not 'kill political leaders'. 'We are focused on nuclear and military,' the unnamed official said. 'I don't think anyone making decisions about those programmes should be living free and easy.' Experts following the burgeoning conflict believe that the strikes on key figures in the country's military chain of command and its nuclear scientists suggest Israel is 'hoping to see regime change' in Iran. Michael Singh of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former senior official under President George W. Bush told Reuters that Iran 'would like to see the people of Iran rise up', adding that the limited civilian casualties in the initial round of attacks also spoke to a broader aim. Hours after Israel launched its first wave of strikes, Netanyahu appealed directly to the Iranian people, saying in a video address that 'the Islamic regime, which has oppressed us for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel'. Israel's objective was to remove the nuclear and ballistic missile threat, he said, but added: 'As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom. 'The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker. This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard.' While Netanyahu has called for a change in Iran's government, including in September, Israel has not said it is actively interfering to bring about such a change. 'As a democratic country, the State of Israel believes that it is up to the people of a country to shape their national politics, and choose their government,' the Israeli embassy in Washington told Reuters. 'The future of Iran can only be determined by the Iranian people.' Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five people had been killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of the conflict. Powerful explosions, likely from Israel's defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles, rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn. Plumes of black smoke rose into the sky over the major coastal city. The latest salvo comes after a weekend of escalating tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran that raised fears of a wider, more dangerous regional war. Iran on Sunday said Israel struck oil refineries, killed the intelligence chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and hit population centers in intensive aerial attacks. Iranian parliamentarians are now said to be preparing a bill that could push Tehran toward exiting the nuclear proliferation treaty that binds it to cooperate with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran could leave the treaty, while reiterating Tehran's official stance against developing nuclear weapons. 'In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament,' the ministry's spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, when asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT. The NPT, which Iran ratified in 1970, guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forego atomic weapons and cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Newscast Israel-Iran: The World Reacts
Today we're looking at how Iran has retaliated to Israel's strikes which targeted Iran's nuclear programme on Friday. The two countries have been exchanging fire. And, state media reports say Iran has warned the UK, US and France it will target their bases and ships in the region if they help stop the strikes on Israel. We look at how the world is reacting to the conflict. Shashank Joshi, The Economist's defence editor joins Laura and Paddy to go through it all. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers You can join our Newscast online community here: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Adam Chowdhury. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Present Covid variant is like Omicron's great-grandchild, nothing to worry about: Dr Joshi
Nagpur: The ongoing rise in Covid-19 cases across India is not a cause for concern and should not create panic, said Dr Shashank Joshi, Padma Shri awardee and former chief of the Maharashtra Covid-19 Task Force, on Friday. Speaking to TOI during his visit to Nagpur for the 12th edition of Hello Diabetes Academia (HDA), Dr Joshi dismissed the current surge as a 'seasonal wave,' triggered by climate change and minor viral mutations. "This variant is the great-grandchild of the Omicron strain — mild, self-limiting, and largely harmless for the general public," Dr Joshi said, adding that the virus is behaving like other seasonal respiratory infections seen during monsoon transitions. "There is no reason to panic," he emphasized. "Healthy individuals may get infected, but will recover due to existing natural immunity. Hospitalisations are not rising, there is no oxygen requirement, and deaths only occur in case of patients with extreme comorbidities or severely compromised immunity." Dr Joshi urged people to treat seasonal flu, cold, or cough with proper medical attention and not ignore symptoms. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 年最紓壓的農場遊戲！無需安裝 東加：島嶼農場 立即播放 Undo "If someone tests positive for Covid-19, wearing a mask is a responsible step, but home isolation is not necessary. Most cases are self-resolving," he said. He stressed that the medical fraternity is not worried and the healthcare system remains robust and well-prepared. "Climate change is driving a number of respiratory infections. Covid-19 is just one of them and needn't cause extraordinary concern. Our country has built strong immunity through vaccination and prior exposure." While in Nagpur for the HDA conference, Dr Joshi also touched upon the rising burden of diabetes and obesity, the core focus of the three-day scientific gathering. "Obesity is now the primary concern of doctors across the country," he said. "Visceral fat, which is the fat surrounding internal organs, is a bigger problem among Indians than general obesity. Women with a waist size above 80 cm and men above 90 cm are at high risk for diabetes," he warned. Meanwhile, diabetologist Dr Sunil Gupta, who is leading the conference, said that while scientific sessions began on Friday, the formal inauguration of the 12th Hello Diabetes Academia is scheduled for Saturday. The conference has brought together over 100 experts from across India to discuss the latest developments in the fields of diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolic care. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Increase in thyroid cases attributed to greater awareness, improved diagnostics
MUMBAI: Close to 50 million Indians, mainly women, suffer from thyroid disorders in India, and the numbers seem to be going up every year in metro cities such as Mumbai, according to statistics available from govt agencies and diagnostic laboratories. The National Family Health Survey-4 found that 1.8% of the women in Maharashtra had goitre or other thyroid disorders in 2015-2016, and the number went up to 2.1% three years later in the NFHS-15. The all-India figure also shows an increase from 2.2% to 2.7% in the same period. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai However, senior endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi from Lilavati Hospital in Bandra said that the rising numbers are more a function of greater awareness and better access to thyroid diagnostic tests. "Autoimmunity is rising across the world, and India is no exception, but the rise in thyroid disorder numbers is merely a reflection of more awareness and diagnosis," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Autoimmunity is a condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy cells, tissues, or organs. Autoimmune thyroid disorders—hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease) or hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroiditis)—are the most common autoimmune diseases in the world. Dr Joshi, who is the immediate past President of the Indian Thyroid Society, said modern women multitask and are vulnerable to work- and family-related stressors that make them prone to thyroid problems. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that regulates metabolism and hormones. Due to disorders, the thyroid could become underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism)—both conditions affect one's mood, weight, energy levels, and heart health. The most common symptoms are weight changes (gain or loss), temperature sensitivity (cold or heat intolerance), changes in heart rate, and skin and hair changes. Other symptoms can include mood swings, digestive issues (like constipation), and menstrual irregularities. "The most important point is that thyroid disorders are treatable conditions, so early detection is the key," said Dr Joshi. May 25 is observed as World Thyroid Day, and this year's theme is "focus on early detection and treatment." Doctors said that modern diagnostics make it easier than ever to detect thyroid issues early and guide the right treatment. Gynaecologist Dr Rajashri Tayshete Bhasale from Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road, wanted to highlight the role of diagnostic advances in better detection rates. 'Artificial intelligence is not the future of thyroid care—it's already here. AI tools can now detect abnormalities in seconds, interpret lab results, and even predict flare-ups. But awareness and timely medical consultation remain key,' she said. Meanwhile, the American Thyroid Association has noted that although several autoimmune diseases have been associated with cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune thyroid diseases—and particularly hypothyroidism—have to date not been officially included among the risk factors for non-communicable diseases.
