Supreme Leader Eliminated: IDF Confirms Khamenei Killed in Tehran Strike

The IDF confirmed Sunday morning that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was eliminated in a joint U.S.–Israel strike on his Tehran compound, as Operation “Roar of the Lion” entered its second day. Iranian state media had earlier announced that the supreme leader was killed when 30 bombs struck the Beit Rahbari complex in central Tehran.

The strike marked the most ambitious direct assault on Iran’s leadership in decades. Reports are circulating that around 40 senior Iranian officials have been killed so far, in what Israeli and American officials described as a coordinated effort to dismantle the regime’s top command structure.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies had tracked Iran’s political and military leadership for an extended period, waiting for a “rare opportunity” for a precise and wide-ranging strike. That opportunity came Saturday morning, when three separate meetings of senior Iranian officials were identified, including one attended by Khamenei. Sources cited by Reuters said the meeting had originally been expected to take place later in the evening, but Israeli intelligence determined it was underway earlier in the day, prompting the strike to be advanced.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that “The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran was martyred at his workplace in the Beit Rahbari,” stating that he was present in his office when the attack occurred.

In a statement Sunday, the IDF said Khamenei “served as leader of the Iranian terror regime since 1989 and led an extremist ideology against the State of Israel and the entire Western world.” The military described him as the architect of the plan to destroy Israel, calling him the “head of the Iranian octopus” that extended its arms across the Middle East, led by Hezbollah. “The IDF has closed a historic circle with the elimination of the leader of the Iranian terror axis,” the statement said.

Under Article 111 of Iran’s constitution, the supreme leader’s powers now transfer temporarily to a three-member council made up of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a senior cleric from the Guardian Council. A separate body, the 88-member Assembly of Experts, is responsible for choosing a permanent successor. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said preparations have been completed and that the temporary leadership council will be established today.

U.S. President Donald Trump declared the operation a decisive blow. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that the Iranian leader “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.” Trump warned, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!” and stated that “The heavy and pinpoint bombing… will continue… throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE.” In a phone call with NBC News, Trump said, “The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone.”

Among those reported killed were Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Saleh Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Hossein Jabal Amelian, Reza Mozaffari-Nia, and Iranian Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, according to statements from the Israel Defense Forces and Iranian state media.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the operation, saying, “Whoever acted to destroy Israel - was destroyed. Justice has been served, and the axis of evil has suffered a crushing blow.” He added, “We will continue to act with full force to defend the State of Israel.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Khamenei a martyr and announced 40 days of national mourning, along with a seven-day public holiday period. “This great crime will not go unanswered and will create a new chapter in the history of the Islamic and Shia world,” Pezeshkian said, vowing revenge for the strike.