Iranian state media has confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the opening salvo of a joint US-Israeli military campaign aimed at regime change. Khamenei had not been heard from since the strikes began on Saturday, and satellite imagery showed his secure compound was heavily damaged. The confirmation came early on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced the ayatollah's death on Truth Social, calling him 'one of the most evil people in history'.
Trump stated that the goal of the military campaign, which began with a barrage of missiles and airstrikes, was regime change. He added that many members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), military, and security forces no longer wanted to fight and were seeking immunity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said there were 'many signs' Khamenei was no longer alive, and Israeli officials briefed media that his body had been recovered.
Iranian media reported that Khamenei's daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were also killed in Saturday's strikes. The semi-official Fars news agency, linked to the IRGC, confirmed their martyrdom. Early on Sunday, Israel's military launched another wave of strikes against Iran's ballistic missile and air defence systems, while US Central Command said it was delivering 'swift and decisive action'.
In Israel, alerts sounded repeatedly overnight warning of incoming Iranian attacks. A 50-year-old woman was killed when a missile struck Tel Aviv, the first fatality in Israel since the war began, with around 120 people injured. Iran also launched strikes targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, with reports of explosions in the UAE. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile killed one person in Abu Dhabi, and debris from interceptions caused fires at Dubai's main port and the Burj Al Arab hotel.
The death of Iran's supreme leader is a significant early success in the joint operation, which has plunged the Middle East into a new regional conflict. Iran's assembly of experts should convene to select a new supreme leader, but analysts suggest the ultraconservative IRGC may be better positioned to consolidate power. State media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and another top official will lead Iran in the transitional period. Iran also confirmed the deaths of IRGC chief General Mohammad Pakpour and another top security adviser in Saturday's attacks.
Netanyahu said Israeli strikes had killed 'several leaders' involved in the Iranian nuclear programme and that strikes against related sites would continue. In an earlier video address, Trump claimed Operation Epic Fury would end a security threat to the US and give Iranians a chance to 'rise up'. Iranian media reported 201 people killed and 747 injured in the initial US-Israeli attacks.
