Reuters reports that Israel and the U.S. timed their strikes on Iran to coincide with a meeting between Khamenei and his top security aides, after intelligence identified the gathering in Tehran, according to two U.S. sources.

•? ?The joint operation was moved forward once Israeli intelligence detected the meeting on Saturday morning; Khamenei had originally been expected to meet Saturday evening.

•? ?The strikes were designed to hit Khamenei first to maintain the element of surprise, amid concerns he could escape into hiding. His high-security compound in Tehran was struck at the beginning of the operation.