CIA monitored Iranian leader before strikes and reportedly planned for his removal

The CIA secretly watched Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for months before a series of fatal strikes in Iran. Reports also indicate the agency had plans to arm Kurdish forces to potentially spark an uprising inside the country.

According to sources, the CIA assessed that figures from Iran's Revolutionary Guards would replace Khamenei if he were killed. A former CIA director later mocked Iran's response to joint U.S.-Israel strikes, calling it 'stunning arrogance'.