Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family are reportedly hiding in an underground bunker in Lavizan, northeast Tehran, after a wave of Israeli airstrikes hit key Iranian cities — including Tehran and, for the first time, Mashhad.
According to Iran International, sources confirm that Khamenei’s sons — Mojtaba, Masoud, and Mostafa — are with him in the fortified facility. The same bunker was used during previous Israeli operations, “True Promise 1” and “True Promise 2,” though only Mojtaba was present at the time.
A diplomatic source told Iran International that Israel could have directly targeted Khamenei on the first night of its latest offensive, code-named Rising Lion, but held back — reportedly to give Iran’s leadership one final chance to halt its uranium enrichment program.
The strike on Mashhad — over 2,300 kilometers from Israel — was widely viewed as a strategic message that no location in Iran is beyond reach.
Despite a two-month ultimatum from U.S. President Donald Trump to stop Iran’s nuclear activities, Khamenei has so far refused to comply. With Israeli strikes now intensifying, analysts believe this may be his last opportunity to change course under mounting military and diplomatic pressure.