According to a report by The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Israeli officials described the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and nearly all of Iran’s top military and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders on the first day of the war as a historic turning point. The operation combined the full power of Israel’s air and intelligence forces.
A senior IDF official told The Jerusalem Post, “Assassinating the supreme leader and all of the top echelon of the Iranian military and the IRGC in around half a minute was made possible by a giant and incredibly coordinated airstrike, which took months of planning.”
The strikes occurred around 8:15 a.m. on February 28, killing Khamenei, IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour, Iranian military chief Abdolrahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, National Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, another long-time security aide to Khamenei, and approximately 35 additional senior officials.
Key Israeli aircraft involved included F-16s, F-35s, and F-15s, supported by extensive intelligence operations. The IDF reported that around 200 aircraft, each carrying precision munitions, struck hundreds of targets within a short timeframe, overwhelming Iran’s defenses. “The total surprise we achieved was extremely deadly and effective,” the official said.
Coordinated efforts with the US military amplified the campaign’s impact. During the early days, F-16s flew nearly continuous sorties, covering 1,000–1,500 kilometers round-trip, with most aircraft completing nine to ten missions by March 5.
After achieving air supremacy, Israeli forces shifted to stand-in attacks, allowing aerial assets to strike from shorter ranges and hover over targets. The IDF characterized the operation and initial air campaign as unprecedented in scope, describing it as one of the most devastating short-term air wars in history.