When the world woke up to Israeli missiles falling in Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was ready with a script as old as his regime—revenge and survival. As reports confirmed that several of his most senior generals were killed in the strikes, Khamenei issued a fiery public vow of “vengeance,” insisting that Israel “will face a bitter and painful fate” for what he called an act of war. The international news cycle instantly combusted, with Iranian state media promising that “the end of this story will be written by Iran, not Israel.”
The details are still emerging, but the core facts are clear: Israeli forces targeted key Revolutionary Guard leaders in a surgical attack, the deadliest single blow to Tehran’s senior command in years, as corroborated by Al Jazeera. The Israeli incursion was coordinated, swift, and designed to show the world that Iran’s nuclear program—and the men behind it—are no longer untouchable.
Yet despite a flurry of rumors, Khamenei himself survived the attack. Security sources confirmed to Reuters that he is alive, very much in control, and seething. The BBC’s live updates tracked Iran’s escalating promises of payback, with the regime mobilizing propaganda outlets and Revolutionary Guard units in equal measure. Arab News highlights the Iranian parliament’s thunderous call for retribution, while Anadolu Agency gives a taste of Khamenei’s rhetoric: vengeance is not just a goal, but a sacred duty.
Diplomats across the region are now bracing for what comes next. As The Times of Israel documented in real time, Tehran’s playbook is both predictable and terrifying: asymmetric threats, proxy mobilization, and a PR offensive worthy of a supervillain. Khamenei is now center stage, forced to act—or risk looking like the one man in Iran who can be attacked with impunity.
For now, the question is not whether there will be revenge, but how much of the region will burn when it arrives. The strongman era is not just alive and kicking—it’s sharpening its knives on the ashes of deterrence.