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Iranian media has confirmed the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, following a barrage of missile strikes orchestrated by Israel and the United States on Saturday.
Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were also killed in the military operation.
Debate over whether Khamenei was indeed among those killed in the joint operation raged across the world late Saturday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu choosing his words carefully when he said “there are many signs the supreme leader is no longer with us”.
“The Supreme Leader of Iran Has Reached Martyrdom,” state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday morning.
“This great scholar and mujahid (fighter) sacrificed his life to lift Iran… and he is in the grand presence of martyrs above,” Mehr, the state affiliated news outlet, said.
Iran has announced 40 days of mourning for Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump had previously announced Khamenei’s death in a Truth Social post.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote.
“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.
“He was unable to avoid our intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”
In an earlier broadcast on the operation, Trump had said he is pursuing regime change in Iran, asking the “Iranian people to take back their country”.
The supreme leader was reportedly having a meeting with several of his top aides when the building was struck.
Iran had retaliated with drone strikes across several Gulf countries, with airports and shopping arcades in Dubai not spared.
UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait closed their airspace on Saturday as Iran targeted US civilian and military assets in the Middle East.
