CIA INTELLIGENCE HELPED GUIDE STRIKE THAT KILLED KHAMENEI IN IRAN . (PHOTO).

 CIA intelligence helped guide strike that killed Khamenei in Iran 

Intelligence gathered over several months by the CIA and shared with Israeli officials played a key role in the missile strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials on Saturday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed.

The CIA had been monitoring Khamenei’s movements for months, building detailed insight into his routines and locations. The agency learned of a Saturday morning meeting of senior Iranian officials at a Tehran compound that Khamenei was expected to attend. This information, passed to Israeli counterparts, accelerated the timing of the strike to take advantage of the opportunity, the source said.

During an interview, GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio said he had spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stated that the U.S. did not target Khamenei or the Iranian leadership directly. Khamenei, who led Iran for nearly 40 years as both its top religious figure and head of state, was killed in the Tehran compound by an Israeli missile strike, which Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday. President Trump had announced Khamenei’s death shortly before the confirmation.

Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, highlighted the role of U.S. and Israeli intelligence in tracking Khamenei. He praised the “exquisite intelligence collection methods” used to determine the leader’s location and intentions, emphasizing the unique capabilities of the two countries’ intelligence agencies.

Khamenei, 86, had been the supreme leader since 1989, consolidating control over Iran’s government and military while also serving as the country’s highest religious authority. His death leaves a leadership void, and Iranian officials indicated that the ruling clerics could select a new supreme leader within days. President Trump said there are “good candidates” to lead Iran but declined to name them, noting he knows who is currently directing operations inside the country.