Israel, US say Khamenei killed in strikes, 'most' of Iran leadership 'gone'
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed. Tehran has denied the claims.
According to senior Israeli officials who spoke to Reuters, Khamenei was confirmed dead on Feb. 28 following joint Israeli and U.S. strikes on targets across Iran, including his compound in the capital of Tehran.
"There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer. This morning we eliminated senior officials in the Ayatollahs' regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear program - and we will continue," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Israeli officials said his body had been recovered, while Iranian officials have rejected the allegations and accused Israel of "resorting to mental warfare."
In an interview with NBC News, U.S. President Donald Trump called the military strikes in Iran a "success" and said reports of Khamenei's death were "correct." He added that "most" of Iran's senior leadership is "gone," saying, "the people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone."
The reported deaths came shortly after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes in the early hours of Feb. 28. Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump have subsequently called for regime change in Iran.
In response to the initial attacks, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases in the Middle East, including in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The escalation follows weeks of negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program. In recent days, U.S. officials made unverified claims that Iran was developing a missile capable of reaching U.S. territory and possessed enough material to build a nuclear weapon within days.
