How the Assault on Iran Unfolded

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/world/middleeast/iran-israel-strikes.html

https://archive.ph/fRKCR

How the Assault on Iran Unfolded
Despite warnings after an earlier wave of killings, top Iranian officials gathered in person, and Israel seized the chance to kill Iran’s supreme leader.
By David M. Halbfinger and Ronen Bergman
March 1, 2026

The Iranian government supposedly drew painful lessons from the 12-day war with Israel and the United States in June.

After Israel located some of Iran’s top leaders and commanders deep underground during that war, Iranian security officials discovered that Israel had tracked them because their bodyguards were carrying cellphones.

Such failures had infuriated Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, according to Iranian and Israeli officials.

And yet, the fatal mistakes made by Iran this weekend were even worse than their missteps last June, making the latest assault on the nation’s leadership especially deadly.

Some of Iran’s highest military and intelligence officials gathered in broad daylight, above ground, at their last known address — the country’s National Security Council offices — for a high-level meeting on Saturday morning, just as much of the world was expecting the United States or Israel, or both, to attack, Israeli defense officials said.

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