‘Stunning Achievement’: David Petraeus Praises US-Israeli Strike That Eliminated Khamenei — But Asks ‘Who Will Follow?’

Former U.S. Army General and CIA Director David Petraeus praised the joint Israeli-American strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday, with Petraeus telling CNN it was a “stunning achievement.”

The retired general told Jake Tapper he was equally as shocked by the incompetence of Iran’s theocratic regime as he was impressed by the flawless execution of the U.S. and Israeli forces during his interview. The Ayatollah and his henchmen clearly did not anticipate a strike in broad daylight, he believed.

Petraeus said:

[It] is just a reflection of stunning arrogance on the part of the Iranian leadership. I think they really thought they were in the clear for another period of daylight because we didn’t go in the normal time —almost all of our operations begin in the early hours of the morning.

And in this case, they apparently came out and were even gathering and meeting, discussing various topics, and that’s how the Israeli precise intelligence enabled their superb military strikes — along with our military actions — to achieve this really extraordinary and truly historical achievement.

That miscalculation led to Khamenei and more than 40 other senior Iranian regime leaders being eliminated on Saturday, Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst reported earlier in the evening.

Petraeus told Tapper the next big question is “Who will follow” Khamenei as the nation’s leader?

“The problem is that the people that usually prevail in situations like this are not the Democrats on a white horse here — you know, the George Washington figures,” he said a moment later. “These are the guys with the most guns and [who are] the most ruthless.”

His appearance on CNN came shortly after President Donald Trump confirmed reports that the Ayatollah was killed earlier in the day.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump declared on Truth Social.

“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” Trump added.

Khamenei’s death sparked a number of large rallies from coast-to-coast in the States, including one in Los Angeles that CNN captured. Not everyone was thrilled, though. United Nation Secretary-General António Guterres “condemned” the U.S. and Israel for the strikes on Iran during an emergency U.N. meeting in New York on Saturday.

Watch above via CNN.

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