Mojtaba Khamenei Rescued from Hospital Rubble Following US-Israeli Airstrikes: Report

NEW YORK—Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly pulled out from the rubble of a bombed Iranian hospital following a joint US-Israeli military strike, according to a report by the New York Post.

The disclosure was made by Mohsen Heidari, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, during an interview with the Qatar-based television network Al Arabiya on Thursday.

According to Heidari, Mojtaba Khamenei was receiving treatment for injuries sustained in earlier attacks when three hospitals in Tehran were struck. He was pulled from the ruins of the third hospital and subsequently moved to an undisclosed secure location, remaining unseen in public since the incident.

Heidari also shed light on Khamenei's secretive appointment as the new Supreme Leader. He stated that Mojtaba was unaware of his own election until the announcement aired on Iranian state television. Following heavy damage to the Assembly of Experts during the strikes, members cast their votes using paper ballots in a clandestine room. Heidari claimed he was the first to propose Mojtaba's name.

"Given the stance of our enemies, we would not have chosen anyone other than Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s leader," Heidari remarked, adding that reports confirmed Khamenei is in full health and capable of leading the nation with the requisite religious competence and sense of justice. Out of 59 members present at the secret session, 50 voted for Khamenei, eight for Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, and one abstained.

Speculation regarding Khamenei's health had intensified following the intense bombardment. While US intelligence reports previously suggested his face may have been disfigured in the strikes, US President Donald Trump stated he believed Khamenei was still alive.