Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was reportedly slightly injured during Israeli airstrikes targeting a secret underground facility in Tehran On June 16, according to Iran's state-affiliated Fars news agency, which is closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The facility was hosting an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's highest decision-making body after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Fars news agency reports that six bombs struck both access and entry points of the facility, disabling the ventilation system and cutting off electricity. President Pezeshkian sustained minor leg injuries while escaping through an emergency shaft alongside other officials. The report, which has not been independently verified, suggests Iran is investigating possible infiltration by Israeli agents to explain how such precise intelligence was obtained.
Social media videos from the 12-day conflict showed repeated strikes on a mountainside in northwestern Tehran, later identified as the location of the targeted underground facility. The Israeli strikes reportedly aimed to block all six entry and exit points, trapping those inside until emergency measures were taken.
Last week, President Pezeshkian accused Israel of attempting to assassinate him, a claim denied by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who stated that "regime change" was not an objective of the operation. Israeli officials acknowledged that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was also a target but noted that he had been moved to a secure location, limiting contact with the outside world.
The attack was part of a broader Israeli operation launched on June 13, targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites to prevent the development of nuclear weapons. Iran, which retaliated with aerial attacks on Israel, denies pursuing nuclear weapons, asserting that its uranium enrichment is for peaceful purposes. On June 22, US Air Force and Navy forces conducted strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, with former President Donald Trump claiming the attacks "obliterated" the sites, though some US intelligence agencies have expressed a more cautious assessment.
The strikes exposed vulnerabilities in Iran's security apparatus, with Iranian leaders admitting they were caught off guard, leading to a 24-hour period of decision-making paralysis. The operation also eliminated several top IRGC and army commanders early in the conflict. Questions remain about how Israel acquired detailed intelligence on the locations of sensitive facilities and the movements of Iran's top officials.
Israel has not officially commented on the Fars news agency report, and the claims remain unverified by independent sources.