Reports from international news agency Reuters say Iran’s highest religious and political figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died following a series of coordinated military strikes by the armed forces of the United States and Israel.
According to Reuters, a senior official within the Israeli government claimed that Khamenei was killed in attacks that struck key positions of Iran’s senior leadership.
The reported offensive between the United States and Israel and Iran took place on Saturday, according to the same news report, sharply raising tensions throughout the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted by Reuters as saying the mission was designed to stop what his administration described as ongoing threats to American security and to create space for Iranians to challenge their own leadership.
After the attacks, commercial satellite imagery circulated showing extensive destruction and large plumes of smoke rising from a complex in Tehran that some analysts believe has links to the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Reuters added.
Ayatollah Khamenei, aged 86, assumed leadership of the Islamic Republic in 1989 after the death of its founder, Ruhollah Khomeini. During his long rule, he became known for guiding Iran’s regional strategy and supporting aligned groups in countries such as Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
The Reuters report also noted that senior Israeli officials have for years characterised Khamenei as a major source of instability in the region.
