Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reportedly been killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his compound in central Tehran, according to senior Israeli officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shown an image of Khamenei’s body after it was recovered from the destroyed compound, which he described as part of a joint offensive with the United States.
“There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive,” he said in a televised address.
An Israeli official also confirmed to Axios that intelligence assessments indicated Khamenei had been killed, and Israel’s ambassador to Washington conveyed the same to U.S. officials.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied the claim, saying Khamenei is “still alive, as far as I know,” and that “all high-ranking officials are alive.”
Iranian state media also announced that Khamenei would deliver a public address, though no live footage had aired at the time of reporting.
