A Hebrew-language report says that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei requested to participate in the funeral procession of his father, the late Ali Khamenei, but was refused by security officials who fear Israeli tracking could expose his location.
A new Hebrew-language report, published Saturday afternoon, adds that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's request to attend his father's funeral was explicitly blocked by security officials due to fears that Israeli tracking could expose his location. This specific concern about Israeli surveillance reinforces earlier reports that cited assassination fears as the reason for his absence from the July 9 funeral of the late Ali Khamenei.
The Zioneer first reported on this development at 12:32 Jerusalem on Saturday, citing a ynet report that Khamenei wished to attend but security officials objected. A subsequent update, also at 12:32, reported that the absence was due to fears of Israeli assassination or tracking. Shortly afterward, The New York Times reported that Khamenei had specifically requested to recite the funeral prayer over his father's body, but security officials rejected the idea over assassination fears. The new Hebrew-language report now directly attributes the refusal to concerns about Israeli tracking capabilities.
The security concerns surrounding Khamenei's whereabouts have been a recurring theme. The Zioneer previously reported on June 19 that a single source claimed Khamenei had been abducted from a hospital after his father's assassination. On July 2, The Zioneer reported that Khamenei did not attend his wife's funeral, and Iran's representative to India stated that security officials warned against attending his father's funeral. On July 3, The Zioneer reported that his continued absence from public view during the mourning period fueled speculation about his fate.
The latest report, attributed to a Hebrew-language outlet, has not been corroborated by official Iranian sources. The exact nature of the Israeli tracking capabilities feared by security officials remains unverified, and Khamenei's current location continues to be unknown.
4 developments
- StrongIran's supreme leader likely to skip father's funeral, citing security fears
- DevelopingIranian channel reports Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend wife's funeral and burial
- StrongIranian economic activist claims Mojtaba Khamenei will attend father's funeral
- DevelopingFirst report: Mojtaba Khamenei abducted from Tehran hospital after father's assassination
Source and signal
- Internal intake