Breaking: Iran's Supreme Leader Killed in Coordinated Attack
Iran’s state media confirmed early Sunday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, marking a dramatic escalation in the Middle East conflict.
The 86-year-old cleric, who had ruled Iran since 1989, was killed Saturday at his office compound in Tehran when US and Israeli forces launched “major combat operations” targeting Iran’s entire leadership structure . Nour News, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported that Khamenei “attained martyrdom while carrying out his duties at his office” .
Dozens of Iranian Cities Attacked
The strikes were not limited to Tehran. Reports indicate that US and Israeli forces targeted multiple cities across Iran in what the Israeli military called the “largest military air raid in the history of its air force” .
Cities confirmed struck include:
- Tehran – Capital city, Khamenei’s compound hit
- Isfahan – Major city, site of nuclear facilities
- Qom – Holy city, religious center
- Karaj – Industrial city west of Tehran
- Kermanshah – Western Iran
- Tabriz – Northwestern Iran
- Lorestan – Western province
- Hormozgan province – Southern Iran, site of school attack
Iranian media reported that strikes hit 24 provinces across the country, killing at least 201 people and wounding more than 700, according to Iran’s Red Crescent society
The School Attack: Children Among the Dead
Among the most devastating reports is the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province. The governor of Minab confirmed that at least 57 students were martyred and 60 others injured, with 53 students still under rubble as rescue operations continued.
The Iranian judiciary later reported that one strike that hit a school in the south killed 108 people, although international media could not independently verify the toll due to access restrictions . Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) documented at least 133 civilian deaths across 18 provinces, including more than 100 children at the elementary school. (source)
How It Happened: The Attack on Tehran
According to Israeli security officials familiar with the operation, the strikes were planned for months and specifically targeted Iran’s senior leadership . Two Israeli sources told CNN that the operation aimed to eliminate Supreme Leader Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and armed forces Chief of Staff Sayyid Abdolrahim Mousavi . (source)
The attack began Saturday morning local time, with satellite images later showing significant damage to Khamenei’s compound . An eyewitness in Tehran told AFP: “I saw with my own eyes two Tomahawk missiles flying horizontally toward targets” before communications were cut .
Alongside Khamenei, multiple senior Iranian officials were killed, including:
General Mohammad Pakpour, head of the Revolutionary Guards
Ali Shamkhani, top advisor to Khamenei and head of the newly established Defence Council
- Armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi
- Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh
Iranian media also confirmed that Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were killed in the strike
What Happens Now?
The assassination of Khamenei creates significant uncertainty. Unlike his predecessor Ayatollah Khomeini, Khamenei had not publicly designated a successor, though reports suggest he had instructed the Assembly of Experts to prepare for every eventuality and had chosen “three senior clerics” as possible replacements.
The UN Security Council held an emergency session, with Secretary-General António Guterres calling for de-escalation and warning that further military action risked igniting uncontrollable events . Iran called on the Security Council to act, though the United States holds veto power