President Donald Trump’s public messaging in the hours leading up to the initial joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran was part of a broader strategy designed to mislead Tehran and leave the country’s leadership vulnerable, according to a senior Israeli official.
The claim, reported Friday by Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, indicates that Trump’s statements and social media activity were part of a coordinated effort intended to convince Iranian leaders that no military operation was imminent. According to the Israeli official cited in the report, that strategy played a role in keeping Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei exposed above ground at the moment the strikes began.
The operation, known as Operation Epic Fury, ultimately resulted in the death of Khamenei after Israeli forces targeted him during the opening phase of the military campaign.
Details about the strike emerged after the Israeli Defense Forces released images from Thursday night showing a barrage hitting what the military described as Khamenei’s bunker complex.
While the facility had been prepared as a potential shelter for the Iranian leader, Yingst reported that Khamenei never entered the bunker prior to the strike.
“At the time of the strike, when Operation Epic Fury began, when the Ayatollah Khamenei was actually killed, he was above ground, he did not go into this bunker and that is why the Israelis were able to kill him in part, because he didn’t think that he was going to be targeted,” Yingst said during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
According to Yingst, Israeli officials indicated that the situation was not accidental. Instead, they described a deliberate deception campaign carried out at senior levels between Washington and Jerusalem.
“There was a deception campaign, I am told by a senior Israeli official, to make the Iranians think this attack wasn’t even going to begin,” Yingst reported.
Despite visible signs of military preparations ahead of the operation, Khamenei’s inner circle reportedly did not move the Iranian leader into the underground bunker complex.
Israeli officials told Fox & Friends that part of the strategy involved sending signals that would lull Iranian leadership into a sense of security. According to the report, public statements and posts from Trump were among those signals.
“There were a number of posts made and statements by President Trump in the 24 hours leading up to the beginning of this operation,” Yingst said while relaying the comments from the Israeli official.
“All of this meant to deceive Iranian leadership,” he added.
According to the official cited in the report, the approach achieved exactly what planners intended.
“This official said the result was exactly what planners had hoped for,” Yingst explained. “Khamenei stayed above ground and the opening strike of Operation Epic Fury found him right there.”
Trump’s public comments in the days leading up to the operation included remarks suggesting that diplomacy remained an option in dealing with Iran.
One day before the strikes began, on February 27, the president acknowledged that negotiations with Iran were difficult but emphasized his preference for a peaceful resolution.
“I’d rather do it the peaceful way,” Trump said at the time. “But they’re very difficult people.”
Throughout that same day, Trump also posted numerous messages to his Truth Social account. The posts focused on a range of topics, including positive reactions to his State of the Union address, plans related to a ballroom project, his TikTok followers, criticisms of political opponents, and endorsements of Republican candidates.
According to the Israeli official cited in the report, messaging like that helped reinforce the impression that no immediate military strike was about to begin, contributing to the deception effort that ultimately left Iran’s supreme leader exposed when the operation began.
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