Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was reportedly flown in secret to Moscow aboard a Russian military aircraft after suffering serious injuries during the opening strikes of the war that killed his father two weeks ago.

According to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida, a senior source close to Khamenei said the evacuation was approved because Iran could not provide the level of medical care required while Israeli and U.S. strikes were ongoing. The report claims Russian President Vladimir Putin personally offered to host and treat Khamenei during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Khamenei was allegedly transferred to Moscow on Thursday evening and underwent what sources described as a successful surgical operation, performed by Russian physicians alongside Iranian doctors who accompanied him.

The same report also claimed that the first public statement attributed to Khamenei may not have been written by him. An Iranian source close to reformist circles suggested the message was likely drafted by Ali Larijani, secretary-general of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, noting that Khamenei has not appeared publicly and that no audio recording of the statement has been released.