Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his family are reportedly sheltering in an underground bunker in Lavizan, northeastern Tehran, following a wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting major Iranian cities—including the capital, Tehran, and, for the first time, Mashhad.
According to Iran International, sources confirm that Khamenei’s sons—Mojtaba, Masoud, and Mostafa—are currently with him in the fortified Lavizan facility. The same bunker was used during previous Israeli operations, “True Promise 1” and “True Promise 2,” although at that time only Mojtaba was present.
A diplomatic source told Iran International that Israel had the opportunity to target Khamenei directly on the opening night of its latest campaign, codenamed Rising Lion, but chose not to. Instead, the Israeli government reportedly opted to give Iran’s leadership a final chance to dismantle its uranium enrichment program.
The strike on Mashhad—over 2,300 kilometers from Israel—was widely seen as a symbolic message to Khamenei that no part of Iran is beyond Israel’s reach.
Despite receiving a two-month ultimatum from then-U.S. President Donald Trump to abandon Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Khamenei has thus far resisted, ignoring repeated American and Israeli warnings. With Israeli military operations now underway, analysts say this may be the regime’s last opportunity to reconsider its nuclear stance under growing international and military pressure.
