Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei confirmed dead, body found — media

Read also: US and Israel hit Iran hard: Is this a war to destroy the regime?

In the evening of February 28, the Israeli prime minister said Khamenei may have been eliminated as a result of the airstrikes on Iran.

Later, at 9:42 PM, The Times of Israel reported, citing an Israeli official, that Ali Khamenei had been killed in the morning in an airstrike. According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, Israel had already briefed the United States on the matter.

"Israeli ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter told US officials that Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been killed in the Israeli strike on his compound, a source with knowledge said," the report said.

Around 9:50 PM, Reuters, citing its own source, reported that Khamenei had indeed been killed and that his body had been found. According to N12News, his body was recovered from the ruins of his palace.

Israel bombed Khamenei's residence in Tehran on the morning of February 28 (Airbus satellite image)

About Ali Khamenei and his possible successors

Born in a family of high-ranking Muslim clerics, Ali Khamenei became Iran's president in 1981 and has served as Supreme Leader since 1989. Holding this top position, he concentrated all power in his own hands.

The next Supreme Leader will be chosen by a special body—the Assembly of Experts. It consists of 88 members, half of whom are appointed by the current Supreme Leader.

Potential successors include three prominent clerics and Iran's parliament speaker. Some reports suggest Khamenei intended to pass his position to his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Background

On Saturday, February 28, Israel, together with the United States, launched strikes on Iran to eliminate security threats. The new de facto war followed talks between Washington and Tehran earlier this week that failed to produce an agreement on limiting Iran's nuclear program.

Afterward, US President Donald Trump delivered a video address confirming that Washington had launched a military campaign to neutralize threats from the current regime. According to him, the main goal of the operation is to protect the American people and allies.

In response, Iran launched missiles toward Israel and has already struck US military bases in at least Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.

Amid the mutual strikes, media reports have suggested that several senior Iranian officials were eliminated. However, as of the evening of February 28, these claims have appeared only in the media, with no official confirmation so far.

See here a full report on what is happening in the Middle East.