— Mossad and the CIA are desperately trying to determine the status and whereabouts of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, according to The Times.

Mojtaba has not used electronic devices for around 150 days, forcing intelligence agencies to rely primarily on human intelligence rather than cyber surveillance. Some intelligence officials believe he may already be dead and that the IRGC is concealing his death, while others believe he is hiding in underground facilities near Tehran or Qom.

Former Mossad officials said Mojtaba is believed to communicate through layers of unwitting couriers carrying handwritten messages, making the recruitment of someone within his inner circle the only realistic way to confirm his location or even whether he is still alive.

Any future audio or video message from Mojtaba could itself become an intelligence opportunity, as agencies may be able to analyze recordings for clues about his location.