Where was Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei during the Israel conflict?

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has re-emerged with a televised public speech following over a week of silence amid Israel’s war with Iran.

During the speech, Khamenei defiantly claimed that “the Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region".

He went further, saying that “this incident can be repeated in the future if an attack is made,” while also dismissing Trump’s claims that strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities obliterated the country’s nuclear programme.

The supreme leader offered congratulations to Iran on its victory against the “fallacious Zionist regime”, which he said was almost “crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.

Where was Khamenei?

Khamenei’s address came after a week of hiding, with his absence following the Israel-Iran ceasefire causing concern among supporters over his safety.

Prominent Iranian figures were saying publicly that people were worried for Khamenei after he failed to appear immediately after the ceasefire, with Western media outlets reporting that factions had begun to emerge vying for influence of the state in his absence.

Khamenei had been moved to a safe location because of Israel’s extensive bombing of the country, which had killed several high ranking officials, including military personnel, nuclear scientists, and a key advisor to the supreme leader.

After his appearance on Thursday, Some commentators noted that Khamenei looked worn out from Israel’s war on Iran, which saw senior military commanders and nuclear scientists assassinated by strikes.

'No opportunity' for assassination

On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the Iranian supreme leader would have been the target of an assassination attempt, if the opportunity had arisen.

“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz told Israel's Channel 13.

"But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn’t realistic in the end," he said.

Earlier in the conflict, reports emerged suggesting that US President Donald Trump had vetoed Israeli plans to take out the Iranian leader.

Two US officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said that the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill Khamenei, but Trump waved them off of the plan.

Still in hiding?

Whereas Khamenei's regular interventions before the war usually took place in public in front of an audience, his message on Thursday was filmed against a plain backdrop of curtains and a picture of revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

It has been speculated that this could indicate that the Iranian supreme leader is still in hiding, with observers noting that Israel has often broken ceasefire agreements and continued attacks on officials long after truces are agreed.