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Sunday, July 19, 2026
Saudi outlet, citing Israeli source, claims new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei ‘not in Iran’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An Israeli security source cited by the Saudi al-Hadath outlet says Iranian leader Mojtaba Khamenei “is not in Iran.”
Khamenei, who was appointed supreme leader shortly after his father was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28 and has only communicated via written statements since, has had no public appearances.
The source tells al-Hadath that Khamenei’s messages are written by new Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi and other members of the IRGC.
“Iran’s internal divisions are deep and threaten the existence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the source is cited as saying.
The Israeli source also says that the US does not want Israel to participate in strikes on Iran, even if Tehran attacks Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.