Amid escalating tensions with Israel, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a warning to the 'terrorist Zionist regime,' saying, "The battle begins." Khamenei's post came hours after threats from US President Donald Trump, who called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' and said that the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader is hiding during the Israel-Iran conflict but doesn't want him killed 'for now.'
According to a translation by Iran International, the post reads, "Ali returns to Khaybar," referencing the 7th-century conquest of the Jewish town of Khaybar by Imam Ali, the first imam of Shia Islam. The Times of Israel reported that the post, originally shared in Farsi, carries strong religious and political undertones, especially in the context of the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. The post includes an image of a man holding a sword entering a castle-like gate, under a sky lit with fiery streaks.
Will show no mercy: Khamenei as Iran launches hypersonic missile on Israel
Moments later, Khamenei posted on X: "We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime. We will show the Zionists no mercy." The statement came shortly after Iran launched two rounds of ballistic missiles at Israel early Wednesday.
Khamenei transfers powers to the Iranian military
Meanwhile, several media reports suggest that Khamenei has handed over key powers to the Supreme Council of the Iranian military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The statement came shortly after Iran launched two rounds of hypersonic missiles at Israel early Wednesday. "The 11th wave of the proud Operation Honest Promise 3 using Fattah-1 missiles" was carried out, the Guards said in a statement carried by state television.
The development came after reports from Iran Insight suggesting that Supreme Leader Khamenei has been relocated to an underground bunker in northeast Tehran. He is believed to be accompanied by close family members, including his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
The Israel-Iran conflict continued into its sixth day on Wednesday, with both countries launching fresh missile attacks against each other despite President Trump's call for Iran's unconditional surrender. According to the Israeli military, Iran fired two waves of missiles toward Israel in the early hours of the morning, with explosions reported over Tel Aviv.
Amid the escalating tensions, President Trump, who had left the G7 Summit early, held a 90-minute meeting with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to assess the situation, a White House official confirmed. Reports from Axios indicated that Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during this period.
Trump demands unconditional surrender
In a series of threatening posts on Truth Social, President Trump said that, "for now" he would not act to eliminate Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the US could assassinate him, but is refraining to do so. He also demanded for an "Unconditional surrender".
"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," he wrote on Truth Social, referring to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now ... Our patience is wearing thin."
Subsequently, he posted, in all capital letters: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!".
Earlier, Trump had issued a stark warning to the residents of Tehran, urging them to evacuate immediately amid escalating tensions with Iran. His statement came after as he abruptly cut short his participation in a G7 Summit, choosing to return to Washington for urgent consultations with his national security team regarding the rapidly intensifying Iran-Israel conflict.
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