The strategy of a «decapitation strike» that the United States and Israel appeared to rely on during their attack on Iran failed to deliver the results its architects expected. This conclusion was presented by journalist and analyst Lucas Leiros of the Center for Geostrategic Studies in an article published by Strategic Culture.

According to Leiros, the bombing campaign carried out by the United States and Israel — which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — was designed around that very concept. The idea was straightforward: eliminate the central figure of Iran’s political and religious authority and trigger a serious internal crisis.

Planners expected that removing the country’s supreme leader would destabilize the governing system. In theory, the political structure would either begin to fracture or face widespread unrest, creating conditions for a forced change of power. At the same time, Washington and Tel Aviv seemingly assumed Tehran’s response would remain limited, similar to previous episodes of confrontation.

Leiros argues that this calculation proved incorrect. Instead of destabilization, the opposite occurred. Iranian society consolidated, and state institutions continued functioning without paralysis. The country’s leadership, he notes, reacted quickly and launched strikes against targets across the Middle East.

In the analyst’s assessment, the attempted «decapitation» strike did not weaken the operational core of Iran’s government. On the contrary, it strengthened patriotic sentiment and broadened public support for the authorities.

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran. Strikes targeted several cities in the Islamic Republic, including Tehran. One of the main targets was the residence of the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the attack.

In response, Iran carried out missile strikes and deployed unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Israel, as well as American airbases located across the Middle East.