Ayatollah Khamenei dead, says Israeli official; Iran denies claims

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials were targeted in the first wave of strikes by the US and Israel on Saturday morning; Iran has not confirmed Khamenei's demise

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who turned the country into a powerful anti-U.S. force and extended military influence across the Middle East while crushing repeated domestic unrest, was killed in Israeli-US strikes, Reuters reported early Sunday, quoting a senior Israeli official. The US, however, has not confirmed Khamenei's passing.  There has been no official word from the Islamic Republic about his whereabouts or condition, either. However, Iranian state media cited a source close to Khamenei's office as saying that 'The leader of the revolution is firmly and firmly commanding the field," Reuters reported. 

 

Iran's Tasnim and Mehr news agencies claimed Khamenei was 'steadfast and firm in commanding the field," Reuters said.  A Reuters report also said Iranian state media had cited Khamenei's head of public relations as saying that "The enemy is resorting to mental warfare, all should be aware."   The US-Israel joint strikes earlier on Saturday pounded the Khamenei's official residence, with satellite images showing it reduced to blackened rubble.  Late Saturday night, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was growing evidence that Khamenei was killed in the US-Israeli operation, as reported by the Associated Press. Speaking in a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said: "There are growing signs that Khamenei is no longer around." 

 

 

The Israeli military had earlier confirmed that Khamenei had been one of their targets in the first round of attacks carried out by the US and Israel.  Earlier on Saturday evening (IST), an Iranian TV channel announced the Supreme Leader would deliver a public address; however, Khamenei failed to appear even hours after the announcement, and has not been heard from since the attacks started.