Tehran/Tel Aviv: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s hardline supreme leader who ruled the country for almost four decades, was killed in Saturday’s joint US-Israeli strikes, Iranian state media confirmed Sunday, prompting celebration among Iranians who opposed his rule and fury from pro-regime loyalists.
An Iranian TV broadcaster broke down in tears as he confirmed Khamenei had reached “martyrdom” in a strike that Fars New Agency said hit his compound in Tehran as he was “carrying out his duties.”
Iranian state media also reported that Ali Khamenei's daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law were killed in Israeli-US strikes, apart from top Iranian leaders.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday shared details as to how Khamenei was killed in heart of Tehran. The IDF said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed inside his leadership compound in central Tehran, asserting that the operation marked the end of what it described as a decades-long chapter of terror directed against Israel.
Khamenei was killed in an epochal attack by the US and Israel, marking an inflexion point in the 46-year Shia-theocratic rule, as Tehran's retaliation set off conflagrations in a swath of the Middle East.
In its official announcement, the Israeli military detailed the circumstances of the strike, stating, "The Air Force, under precise intelligence guidance from the Military Intelligence and in cooperation with the Military Intelligence, attacked the leadership compound in the heart of Tehran where he was staying along with other senior officials."
The Israeli military described Khamenei as the head of what it termed the Iranian "terrorist regime" since 1989 and accused him of advancing an extremist ideology directed against Israel and Western nations. It further alleged that he was "directly responsible for the violent repression of Iranian citizens for many years."
Earlier on Sunday, the IDF announced that Israeli Air Force fighter jets had dropped more than 1,200 munitions in strikes across Iran over the past 24 hours.
According to the Israeli military, the aerial campaign targeted hundreds of Iranian military assets, including ballistic missile launchers and air defence systems, as part of the ongoing offensive.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the country's state-run IRIB TV reported on Sunday. The strikes on Tehran also killed Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Pakpour, Secretary of the country's Defence Council Ali Shamkhani, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that seven senior Iranian military commanders, including Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and the Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed in what it described as precise airstrikes carried out across Iran.
The reported killings occurred as part of a wider joint offensive by the US and Israel targeting Iran's military and strategic infrastructure, a development that has sharply heightened tensions across the Middle East.
According to the IDF, the operation was executed by the Israel Air Force (IAF) after the Military Intelligence Directorate identified two separate locations in Tehran where high-ranking Iranian security officials were gathered.
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) has vowed to punish the "murderers" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the confirmation of his death by state television, and promised that the response will be the "most ferocious offensive operation in history" against the US and Israel.
In a statement posted on its official Telegram page, the IRGC said, "The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them."
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned that Israel will continue targeting Iran with more strikes and called on Iranians to unify and free themselves of the regime.
In a video address, the Israeli PM said, "In the coming days, we will strike thousands of targets of the terrorist regime. We will create the conditions for the brave people of Iran to free themselves from the chains of tyranny. And for this reason, I address you once again: O citizens of Iran, do not let this opportunity slip away."
"This is an opportunity that comes only once in every generation. Do not sit idle, because your moment will arrive soon. The moment when you must take to the streets, come to the streets in your millions to finish the job, to overthrow the regime of terror that has embittered your lives. Your suffering and sacrifices will not be in vain," Netanyahu said. He added that help had arrived.
Israel and US launched Operation Roaring Lion/ Operation Epic Fury in coordinated airstrikes across multiple Iranian cities targeting Iranian military command centres, air-defence systems, missile sites, and key regime infrastructure.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced the death of Khamenei, calling it justice for the people of Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. 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...The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD."
US President Donald Trump said that the strikes were done to "ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon". Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, targeting Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, describing the death of Iran's Supreme Leader as a "cynical murder," according to Russian state media agency TASS.
In his first official remarks since the targeted operations and the subsequent retaliatory strikes in the region, Putin criticised the nature of the attack.
He stated that the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei violated "all norms of human morality and international law," as per TASS.
On Sunday, Israel said it had launched fresh attacks on "the heart of Tehran".
Meanwhile, US air defences intercepted a drone over a military base near Erbil International Airport in Iraq, according to security sources quoted by Al Jazeera.
Iran, meanwhile attacked the port of Duqm in Oman and targetted an oil tanker off the coast of Oman.
The Gulf Cooperation Council head, Jasem al-Budaiwi condemned as a "serious violation and a dangerous escalation that threatens regional security." He described these actions as "unacceptable provocations" that "undermine stability" in the Gulf and stressed the need for restraint and respect for international law.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says the strikes on Iran "will continue for as long as necessary" and will not stop "before the objectives are achieved" as reported in the Times of Israel.
Israel also suffered as the number of fatalities following an Iranian ballistic missile strike on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh has increased to eight, according to reports from Al Jazeera and Israeli emergency services.
The missile struck a residential area, leaving at least 27 people injured. Medical officials confirmed that two of the wounded remain in serious condition.
Emergency operations are currently underway at the scene of the explosion. Al Jazeera noted that the Times of Israel newspaper also confirmed the missile hit a populated area within the city limits.
The Israeli military, in a statement on Telegram, said that search and rescue units, along with medical personnel and a helicopter designated for casualty evacuation, are actively operating at the impact site.
The strike in Beit Shemesh comes as part of a broader escalation in the region. Expanding the scope of hostilities, Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was also targeted by missile strikes launched by Iran, according to a report by the Iranian state broadcaster, Press TV. (Agencies)
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