U.S. intelligence confirms Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was injured in an Israeli airstrike last month, amid allegations of an assassination attempt tied to “Operation Rising Lion.
Tehran —
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sustained injuries in a reported Israeli airstrike on Iranian soil last month, according to two U.S. intelligence officials who confirmed the incident to CBS News. The strike, which occurred during a meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, marks a dramatic escalation in covert tensions between Israel and Iran.
Reports from Iranian state-run media indicate that President Pezeshkian was injured in the leg while fleeing through an emergency shaft. It remains unclear whether Pezeshkian was the specific target of the strike or a casualty of a broader strategic operation.
President Pezeshkian himself spoke about the incident during a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, where he alleged that Israel had deliberately attempted to assassinate him.
“They did try, yes,” Pezeshkian said when asked directly. “And they acted accordingly, but they failed.”
While both the White House and the Israeli government have declined to comment, Iranian sources continue to present the incident as an overt act of aggression.
A senior Iranian official, speaking to Al Jazeera, declared that the attempt on Pezeshkian’s life would not go unanswered, warning of future repercussions for Israel. The same official confirmed that a broad internal investigation has been launched, including an inquiry into whether internal collaborators facilitated the strike.
The airstrike reportedly occurred during “Operation Rising Lion,” an Israeli-led effort shrouded in secrecy. Iranian intelligence suspects the operation is part of a larger Israeli campaign to destabilize and overthrow the Islamic Republic.
This is not the first time Iranian leadership has accused Israel of pursuing regime change through covert action, including cyberattacks, assassinations of nuclear scientists, and targeted airstrikes. However, this marks the first known case of a sitting Iranian president being physically harmed in such an operation.
With rising tensions in the region and uncertainty surrounding Israel’s evolving security strategy, Pezeshkian’s injury could further inflame geopolitical fault lines.
