Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has died, confirmed by multiple reports and Israeli officials. The initial airstrikes targeted key figures in an effort to weaken the regime, and this operation was likely successful. With Khamenei’s death, a clear successor is yet to emerge, and many potential candidates are also dead, having been killed in a series of airstrikes early Sunday morning. Based on reports, some 30 bunker buster bombs were dropped on his residence (via Axios).
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SENIOR ISRAELI OFFICIAL TO REUTERS: KHAMENEI DEAD, HIS BODY HAS BEEN FOUND https://t.co/AM98lQyCOL
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) February 28, 2026
🚨🚨🚨Israeli ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter told U.S. officials that Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been killed in the Israeli strike on his compound, a source with knowledge said
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) February 28, 2026
🚨BREAKING NEWS: Ayatollah Khamenei’s body has been found.
Iran’s Supreme Leader is dead.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 28, 2026
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike Saturday as part of a massive joint military operation between the U.S. and Israel, Israel’s ambassador to Washington told U.S. officials.
An Israeli official confirmed to Axios that Khamenei is dead, according to Israeli intelligence.
Why it matters: The 86-year-old Khamenei led Iran for 35 years, making him one of the world’s longest-serving authoritarian rulers. His death is a massive blow to the regime and could accelerate its collapse, which U.S. and Israeli officials have stated as a goal of their operation.
The big picture: Khamenei’s killing sets off an immediate succession crisis with no clear answer.
Under Iran’s constitution, a council of clerics is meant to select a new supreme leader — but Israel’s strikes also targeted senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders and political leaders, leaving the regime’s chain of command in disarray.
Israeli officials say they assess the Iranian minister of defense and the commander of the IRGC were also among those killed in targeted strikes on Saturday.
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BREAKING: Senior Israeli official confirms to our @TreyYingst that Iran’s Supreme Leader is DEAD.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 28, 2026
Senior israeli official to Reuters: Khamenei dead, his body has been found.
— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) February 28, 2026
BREAKING 🔴
Netanyahu has viewed footage showing the body of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, marking what officials describe as the end of an era.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 28, 2026
🚨🚨🚨 Israeli ambassador to Washington tells U.S. officials Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed today in an Israeli strike
An Israeli official confirms to Axios that Israeli intelligence believes Khamenei is dead
More from @axios @BarakRavid: https://t.co/qMxBtXJzDz
— Mike Allen (@mikeallen) February 28, 2026
🚨#BREAKING: At this time multiple reports are claiming that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has been k*lled and that his body was recovered during Trump’s operation in Iran. This is still developing pic.twitter.com/xQ9WOqP0ta
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 28, 2026
This is a developing news story.
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