Israeli officials are claiming that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead following a major joint military operation carried out by the United States and Israel targeting Iranian sites over the weekend.
The reports come after earlier indications that Khamenei had fled Tehran and was moved to a secure location as strikes intensified across the country.
According to the BBC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “growing signs” that Khamenei was “gone,” fueling speculation that Iran’s longtime leader had been eliminated in the operation.
Trey Yingst, Fox News’ chief foreign correspondent, reported on Netanyahu’s remarks and provided updates on the ongoing campaign, stating that Israeli forces were continuing to strike targets inside Iran as the situation rapidly evolved.
More definitively, Reuters reported that Israel informed officials that Khamenei had been killed during what it described as the most ambitious attack on Iran in decades. A senior Israeli official told the outlet that Khamenei’s body had been recovered.
Iran condemned the strikes as unprovoked and illegal and responded with missile launches against Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host U.S. military bases, according to the report.
Further confirmation was echoed by Axios, which reported that Israel’s ambassador to Washington informed U.S. officials that Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike as part of the broader U.S.-Israeli operation.
If confirmed, Khamenei’s death would represent a seismic shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics and mark one of the most consequential moments in U.S.-Iran relations in decades, as the region braces for potential retaliation and further escalation.
