In the wake of the bruising 12-day war between Israel and Iran, an unusual campaign of warfare appears to be emergingthis time, not on the battlefield but online. A Farsi-language social media account claiming to be affiliated with Israels Mossad has published a series of provocative posts targeting Irans Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing him of drug use and disengagement from governance.
How can a leader lead when they sleep half the day and spend the other half high on substances? read one post on X, published by the newly launched premium account that describes itself as Mossads official Farsi-language spokesperson.
In another post, the account said: Using drugs and speaking to spirits are not appropriate traits for someone leading a nation.
While Mossad has not officially confirmed its involvement with the account, intelligence analysts in Israel say it may indeed be authentic.
Experts note that Israel has long operated differently in Iran than in other regions, where public influence and psychological messaging are increasingly used as tools to destabilize the regimes grip.
Rumors surrounding Khameneis health and day-to-day activities are not new. In a 2022 television interview on a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated station in Turkey, Iranian academic Nour Mohamed Omara alleged that the Supreme Leader personally uses drugs manufactured in a secret village in Balochistanan area he claimed was controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and closed off to outsiders.
Many viewers do not know this, but Khamenei himself uses drugs, Omara said during the interview.
The irony is not lost on critics. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Irans leadershipunder Khamenei and his predecessor Ayatollah Khomeinihas declared drug use, particularly opium, as strictly forbidden under Islamic law. The regime is notorious for imposing harsh penalties on drug offenders, including the death penalty.
Still, in the weeks since the ceasefire with Israel, Khamenei has remained largely absent from public view. His limited appearances have fueled speculation about his physical condition and ability to lead amid mounting domestic unrest and severe infrastructure damage caused by Israeli strikes.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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