image source, Getty Images
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is “no more”, with “increasing signs” following US and Israeli strikes.
After his statement, various unconfirmed reports said that Mr. Khamenei was killed.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body has been found, Reuters news agency reported, citing a senior Israeli official.
Citing a source, Axios reported that Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, told US officials that the attack on his compound in Tehran. Khamenei was killed.
In addition, several Israeli media, including News Twelve and the Times of Israel, have also claimed the death of the supreme leader, citing Israeli officials.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai told ABC News that both Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Massoud Pezheshkian were “healthy and safe.”
“The enemy has resorted to psychological warfare. We should all be careful about this,” said Seyed Mehrdad Seyed Mahdi, head of public relations in Khamenei’s office, according to a report by the semi-official Isna news agency.
Meanwhile, President Trump told ABC News that the US strike had “already caused massive damage” and that “a lot” of Iran’s top leadership was gone.
“We don’t know everyone, but many are gone,” Trump said in a telephone interview. The president also said the United States has a “very good idea” of who Iran’s next leader will be.
Earlier on Saturday morning, BBC Verify collected a satellite image of Tehran after the Israeli attack.
It has been seen that a part of the office or leadership house of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been damaged.
This high resolution image was captured by Airbus. It can be seen that the buildings in that place are in a burnt state, debris is also seen scattered. A plume of smoke was seen billowing from the scene.
The location of the photo matches the verified video footage captured in Tehran in the morning.
image source, Airbus DS 2026
Who is Ayatollah Khamenei?
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been supreme leader since 1989, is the most powerful man in Iran.
He is the country’s head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
He also has authority over the National Police and the Morality Police.
Khamenei controls Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is responsible for the country’s internal security. It also controls its volunteer arm, the Basij Resistance Force—which is used primarily to quell any form of dissent or protest in Iran.
image source, Reuters
US-Israel joint attack, Iran responds
After the United States and Israel’s joint attack on Iran on Saturday, Iran is also responding to it.
Iran launched missile attacks targeting US bases in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait in the Middle East.
Israel claims it has killed several Iranian political leaders and commanders.
The Red Crescent Society, citing Iran’s state television, said that more than 200 people have been killed and at least 700 injured in the country so far.
At least 85 people have been killed in an attack on a girls’ school in Iran, the country’s media reported.
In response to these attacks, Iran launched missile attacks targeting various Israeli installations and military bases.
Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces issued an attack alert on military installations in Iran’s Isfahan. All civilians have been asked to evacuate.
A massive explosion was heard in Iran on Saturday morning and evening. Israel claimed it struck at least 500 Iranian installations on Saturday.
Israel claims its air force continues to attack various Iranian installations.
Meanwhile, in response to the attack, Iran issued a warning to close the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the south.
