{"id":322983,"date":"2026-03-01T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T06:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/322983\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T06:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T06:00:09","slug":"supreme-leader-khamenei-killed-in-attacks-on-iran-say-israeli-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/322983\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Leader Khamenei killed in attacks on Iran, say Israeli officials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, Israeli officials have told the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The assassination of the leader of the Islamic Republic, who had no designated successor, would throw its future into doubt and raise the prospect of a protracted conflict given Iranian threats of retaliation.<\/p>\n

In a nationally televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were \u201cgrowing signs\u201d that Mr Khamenei had been killed when Israel struck his compound early on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the address, two officials said Israel had confirmed his death.<\/p>\n

Mr Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He had the final say on all major policies, leading Iran\u2019s clerical establishment and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard \u2013 the two main centres of power in the country\u2019s theocracy.<\/p>\n

Asked about reports that Mr Khamenei was killed in air strikes on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said: \u201cWe feel that that is a correct story.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a brief phone interview with NBC News, he said \u201ca large amount of leadership\u201d of Iran had been killed, adding: \u201cI don\u2019t mean like two people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said \u201cmost\u201d of Iran\u2019s senior leadership is \u201cgone\u201d, including many people who make decisions.<\/p>\n

Asked who might become Iran\u2019s new supreme leader, Mr Trump said \u201cI don\u2019t know but at some point they\u2019ll be calling me to ask who I\u2019d like\u201d before noting he was being \u201conly being a little sarcastic\u201d in suggesting that.<\/p>\n

The Israeli military said the strikes also killed Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.<\/p>\n

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Iranian Security Council and a close adviser to Mr Khamenei, and Mohammad Shirazi, the head of Mr Khamenei\u2019s military bureau, were also said to have been killed.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Iranian supreme leader\u2019s compound is said to have been hit (Airbus DS 2026 via AP)\n<\/p>\n

Following the attack on targets across Iran, Mr Trump called on the Iranian people to \u201ctake over your government\u201d.<\/p>\n

Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, said at least 201 people had been killed.<\/p>\n

The first strikes appeared to target the compound of Iran\u2019s 86-year-old Supreme Leader in central Tehran.<\/p>\n

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Mr Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive \u201cas far as I know\u201d.<\/p>\n

The US president said in a video posted on social media: \u201cFor 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but added: \u201cWhen we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.\u201d<\/p>\n

In southern Iran, at least 85 people were reported killed after a girls\u2019 school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, the local governor told Iranian state TV.<\/p>\n

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said he was \u201caware of reports\u201d that the school was struck and they were looking into them.<\/p>\n

The violence quickly expanded with the Revolutionary Guard saying it had responded by launching a \u201cfirst wave\u201d of drones and missiles targeting Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said it was bringing down Iranian fire.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry said the country \u201cwill not hesitate\u201d in its response, adding: \u201cThe time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy\u2019s military assault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnAn explosion in Haifa Bay, northern Israel (Leo Correa\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Bahrain said a missile attack had targeted the US Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom, witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to US Army Central, and explosions were heard in Qatar.<\/p>\n

About 12 hours after the attacks began, the US military reported no US casualties and minimal damage at bases despite \u201chundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n

It said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defence capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.<\/p>\n

Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their air space and sirens sounded in Jordan. The UAE said one person had been killed by falling shrapnel and air defence fire was seen over its commercial hub Dubai.<\/p>\n

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior officials.<\/p>\n

Mr Trump said the US had begun \u201cmajor combat operations in Iran\u201d after the US assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear programme.<\/p>\n

He claimed in the video that Tehran has continued to develop its nuclear programme and plans to develop missiles to reach the US. He acknowledged there could be American casualties in the conflict, saying \u201cthat often happens in war\u201d.<\/p>\n

Iran has said it has not enriched uranium since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed during a 12-day war then. Satellite photos analysed by the Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Tehran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.<\/p>\n

\"Trump\"Donald Trump said the US has begun \u2018major combat operations\u2019 (Michael Gonzalez\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Iran has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile programme, limiting their range to 1,240 miles. That puts all the Middle East and some of eastern Europe in their range.<\/p>\n

There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, though Washington has said its space programme could allow it to one day.<\/p>\n

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region, and Mr Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran\u2019s nuclear programme. He saw an opportunity while the country struggles at home with growing dissent after nationwide protests.<\/p>\n

Iran had hoped to avert a war but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile programme or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

But Mr Trump\u2019s statement indicated the US was striking for reasons far beyond any nuclear ambitions, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n

\"APTOPIXSmoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran (AP)\n<\/p>\n

Mr Netanyahu said the attack aimed to \u201cremove an existential threat posed\u201d by Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran\u2019s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official source.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard had vowed to respond if attacked, including saying American military personnel and bases spread across the region would be targets.<\/p>\n

Explosions rocked Israel as the country worked to intercept incoming Iranian missiles. There was no immediate word on any damage or casualties.<\/p>\n

Several hospitals in Israel launched emergency protocols, including moving patients and operations to underground facilities.<\/p>\n

US embassies or consulates in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Israel posted on social media that they had told staff to shelter in place and recommended all Americans \u201cdo the same until further notice\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-322983","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}