Khamenei's top advisor Ali Shamkhani narrates surviving Israeli airstrike: 'I thought it was an earthquake'

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's close aide Ali Shamkhani, a representative at talks with the United States, remerged on Saturday for the state funeral of slain Iranian military and IRGC officials. 

 

Shamkhani was initially thought to have been killed in the air strike but Iranian state media carried a letter from Shamkhani addressed to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in which he stated he was alive. 

 

Now, the top advisor has given an interview to the Iranian state media wherein he revealed how he survived the attack despite being buried under the rubble for over three hours.  Shamkhani said he thought it was an earthquake when the building caved on him. "My chest was crushed," Shamkhani, who now uses a breathing device, told Iranian media. 

 

"At first, I thought an earthquake had occurred, and I remained under the rubble for three hours until I heard the sound of a car. At that point, I realised that Israel had targeted me because, in an earthquake, cars cannot move through the streets of Tehran," the advisor said. 

 

Though he survived, Shamkhani acknowledged that he suffered internal physical damage as a result of the Israeli attack. "They were falsely claiming they amputated my leg. Let them take it away. What do I need a leg for? They (the Israelis) know why they targeted me, and I know too, but I can't say," he added.

 

Shamkhani's survival was termed a miracle by many after residents who lived nearby detailed how strong the blast was. A Tehran resident who lives directly opposite Shamkhani's residence told Middle East Eye that it was a "miracle" she had survived the blast herself. "We got up from the ground in fear and realised the apartment across from ours had been bombed," she said, adding that she and her husband were thrown from our bed. "The explosions didn't stop. We had no idea what was happening," the woman added.

 

Shamkhani previously served as Iran’s navy commander, defence minister and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. He also led the Iranian military’s Center for Strategic Studies and was once considered a presidential contender. 

 

He was later seen attending the funeral ceremony of slain Iranians, an event which the Supreme Leader avoided. This is a marked difference from the earlier ceremonies where Khamenei had led funeral prayers for most of Iran's mid- and high-ranking leaders killed in military conflicts.

 

The Supreme Leader is currently holed up in an underground bunker where he was moved to after the start of the war with Israel. He has made no public appearances since then, except for three recorded video messages.

Middle East