JAKARTA - As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak of the possibility of targeting a very powerful Tehran leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The direct attack on Khamenei will plunge the area into areas that have not been mapped.
As one of the most powerful people in the Middle East, Khamenei has ruled Iran by iron for nearly four decades, dealing with the US and Israel while destroying dissent at home and advancing Iran's controversial nuclear program.
As the supreme leader, Khamenei is in control of the government, judiciary and military in the country of 90 million people, as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the strong Quds forces, the secret unit of the IRGC that oversees the proxies including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis.
Born in 1939 in Mashhad, Iran's holiest city, Khamenei was a student of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, one of the main leaders of the revolution that toppled the pro-West monarchy in Iran in 1979 and founded the Islamic Republic.
He was also the target of Khomeini's opponents and escaped an assassination attempt in 1981 which left his right arm unable to function.
Khamenei became the supreme leader after Khomeini's 1989 death.
Since then, he has expanded Iran's influence far beyond its own boundaries, positioning it as a regional force to be taken into account.
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For more than 30 years under Khamenei's leadership, Iran avoided direct conflict with its enemies, strengthening itself with a network of allied militant groups spread across the region known as "Poros Resistance."
That changed when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel's war on Gaza and attacks on Hezbollah, one of Iran's most valuable proxies, have put Israel brave and shattered Iran's image as an unambiguous force, culminating in an unprecedented attack last week on Iran's nuclear facilities and the highest military leadership.
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