fazTimes media: Israel claims Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei went into hiding during the recent 12-day conflict. Now, Khamenei is making public appearances and video speeches. The claim was first made by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. It meant that Khamenei had supposedly stopped talking to his top military leaders and gone offline to avoid an alleged assassination plot by Israeli forces. Khamenei's obvious presence during and after the fight, on the other hand, sends a different message: one of strategic resistance rather than fearful withdrawal.

The conflict that almost caused a bigger war in the Middle East is over. The different stories coming out of Tehran and Jerusalem show the political and psychological sides of modern war, where how people see things is often just as important as the weapons they use.

Katz's Bold Claims and Khamenei's Willful Ignorance

Katz, Israel's Defense Minister, said soon after the ceasefire that Israel had planned to kill Khamenei during the 12-day war, but that they never got the chance because Iran's Supreme Leader cut himself off from the military command.

Fox News said Katz said, "He went into deep hiding." "He effectively vanished from the decision-making process and broke off communication with his top generals."

But these claims are being looked at very closely. During the conflict, Khamenei was on tape more than once, and in one of them, he spoke out against the Israeli attacks and said that Iran's strategic capabilities were "intact." Iranian state TV showed videos of Khamenei meeting foreign officials, attending prayer services, and speaking publicly. Iranian officials and experts say Israel's claim is just a psychological tactic to damage the Supreme Leader's reputation.

Strategic Posturing or a Plan to Kill?

The idea that Israel wanted to kill Khamenei without the US's permission is a very dangerous step up in the situation, since the Supreme Leader is both Iran's de facto leader of state and its top religious authority. This would have sparked chaos across Shia-majority regions in the Middle East, beyond just Iran.

Katz's claim that Israel would act without US approval raises questions about how closely the two countries coordinate their security efforts. It also shows that Tel Aviv may not have used the threat of assassination as a confirmed plan but rather as a strategic signal.

"This was probably a warning shot, not necessarily a green-light operation," says Dr. Farid Saberi, a geopolitical expert based in Tehran. But just the idea of going after Khamenei is very dangerous. It shows that the stakes have gone up a lot.

A fight that almost got out of hand

The 12-day war began with coordinated attacks by Israel and the US on key Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This was one of the most dangerous military buildups in recent Middle Eastern history. Iran said that both the US and Israel were breaking international law and its laws. Israel said that the strikes were meant to stop Iran from starting up its nuclear weapons program again.

Even though Israel was sure that the strikes did a lot of damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure, Khamenei insisted that Tehran's projects were still running. Some centrifuge facilities were damaged, but not so badly that they can't be fixed, according to sources. However, no independent proof of the damage has been made public.

Iran hit back at the U.S. military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as the war went on. There was a lot of diplomatic pressure for a ceasefire, even though it was said that warnings had been made before the attack. The US helped broker a truce to avoid full-blown conflict. Both sides claimed victory, highlighting their strategic wins.

The Abraham Accords and the Outcomes of Diplomatic Work

In addition to a military show, the war gave Israel a chance to improve its relations with other countries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the campaign had "reshaped the strategic landscape" and brought back talks with Arab countries as part of the Abraham Accords.

Sources in the region confirmed that Saudi Arabia and Oman, two Gulf countries that have generally been wary of Israel, were talking behind closed doors, even though no new signatories were officially named.

Iran, on the other hand, said that the outcome was a clear rejection of American and Israeli violence. In his comments after the war, Khamenei claimed that Israel had not been able to permanently damage Tehran's security apparatus. He used Iran's response with missiles and cyberattacks as proof of its ability to deter others.

What Information Warfare and Propaganda Are For

The different stories from both sides have made people think about the role that digital diplomacy, controlling how people see things, and propaganda play in modern war.

Iran's state-run media showed the Supreme Leader as calm, collected, and spiritually defiant. On the other hand, Israeli media focused on Katz's story of Khamenei's disappearance as proof that Iran was weak. Video footage of Khamenei's public appearances in this story directly contradicts what Israel says, which makes Katz's version hard to believe since there isn't any hard proof. Some analysts believe Katz's words were more aimed at Israelis—to reassure them of the government's boldness and to send a message of fear to Iran—than at people outside of Israel.

Why should people in India and the area care

For people in India and the rest of South Asia, this story shows how the Middle East is becoming more unstable at a time when India has strong economic, energy, and diaspora ties to the area. Millions of Indian workers live and work in the Gulf countries. If the situation between Iran and Israel gets worse, it could affect shipping lanes, oil prices, and the stability of the area. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a lot of India's crude supplies go, is especially at risk during these kinds of wars.

India has also always had good relations with both Israel and Iran. It relies on Tehran for trade and energy, and it looks to Tel Aviv for defense technology. Because of this, these events make it harder for New Delhi to make international decisions, especially since it still supports multipolar cooperation through groups like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS.

Looking ahead: problems that haven't been fixed and a fragile peace.

As the area slowly gets back to normal, there are still a lot of questions that haven't been answered. Has someone ever really tried to kill Khamenei? Was this part of Israel's message after the war, or did he shut himself off?

There is no doubt, though, that the limits of what is legal in fighting are being pushed. Talking about the chance of killing heads of state sets a bad example, even if it doesn't happen. In a time when videos, tweets, and televised speeches often have more of an effect on public opinion than government statements, the war of narratives could also be the one that really shapes future conflicts.

Ayatollah Khamenei's return to public life is more than just defiance. Whether it shifts strategy or fuels propaganda, one thing's clear: the Middle East's tensions remain.

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