Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday after the US and Israel launched massive aerial strikes on the capital Tehran.
An announcer appearing on state television broke down in tears early on Sunday as he confirmed the killing, saying the 86-year-old was “martyred” in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The semi-official Fars news agency, which has links to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were also killed in the strikes.
“After establishing contact with informed sources in the supreme leader’s household, the news of the martyrdom of the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the revolutionary leader has unfortunately been confirmed,” it said.
Satellite imagery seen by Middle East Eye showed widespread destruction at the supreme leader’s compound after videos posted on social media showed black smoke billowing from the area.
The Tasnim News Agency reported that Khamenei was killed while working in his office. Two Iranian sources, however, told the Reuters news agency that Khamenei had met with Ali Shamkhani, the powerful former National Security Council secretary, and Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC, at a secure location shortly before the strikes started.
It was unclear whether Shamkhani or Pakpour survived Saturday’s attacks.
Following Sunday’s announcement, the Supreme National Security Council vowed to avenge Khamenei’s “martyrdom,” who it said “opened a new chapter of ruling in Islam’s history”.
US President Donald Trump had earlier announced the killing, saying that Khamenei’s killing had delivered justice not only “for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans”.
“He [Khamenei] was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do,” Trump said in a lengthy post on his Truth Social Platform.
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” Trump added.
The US president then claimed that many of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, military and other security and police forces “no longer want to fight”, suggesting he would now be willing to give them “immunity”.
Significantly, the US president also said that “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue “uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective”.
Source: Middle East Eye
