Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed dead
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during military strikes carried out Saturday by the United States and Israel, Reuters reported, citing Israeli officials.
President Donald Trump announced the United States military launched strikes, identified as Operation Epic Fury, in a video posted to Truth Social early Saturday morning. Khamenei’s body was subsequently recovered, Reuters National Security Correspondent Idrees Ali reported, citing Israeli sources. (RELATED: Iran Unleashes Waves Of Strikes On US Military, Israel To Make ‘Aggressors Regret Their Criminal Act’)
Senior israeli official to Reuters: Khamenei dead, his body has been found.
— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) February 28, 2026
Video posted on X appeared to show Khamenei’s residence had been hit during the strikes, with a woman claiming, “They hit the Supreme Leader[‘s] compound.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were increasing indications Khamenei did not survive in earlier remarks to the Israeli people Saturday.
“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his country with an update saying that the Israelis targeted the compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei. And Netanyahu goes on to say there are many signs that he is no longer,” Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reported on air. “Again, not confirmation that he was killed, but the Israelis think they were successful in the strike against Iran’s Supreme Leader.”
In January 2026, Khamenei issued multiple threats against Trump on social media, including depicting the president in a coffin. Trump told NewsNation host Katie Pavlich in a Jan. 21 interview that, if Khamenei’s threat were ever carried out, the United States would “wipe [Iran] off the face of this earth.”
Women laughing on a rooftop in Tehran: “They hit the Supreme Leader compound.”
28 Feb 2026pic.twitter.com/W0XxueBDg9— Khosro K Isfahani (@KhosroIsfahani) February 28, 2026
Trump previously warned Iran not to harm protesters who oppose the regime, including threatening action if the regime hanged demonstrators who had been arrested. While Iran reportedly didn’t hang any of the 800 protesters Trump referenced, the theocratic regime’s forces have allegedly killed thousands of others.
In June 2025, the United States bombed multiple facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan which reportedly supported Iran’s nuclear weapons program, dropping as many as 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators. The operation, which involved a 37-hour flight by seven United States Air Force B-2A Spirit bombers, inflicted significant damage to Iran’s nuclear program with no American losses.
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