Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed, senior Israeli official says

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a televised message in Tehran, Iran, February 9, 2026

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in Israeli and U.S. military strikes, according to a senior Israeli official who spoke to Reuters on Saturday. There was no immediate confirmation from Iranian authorities.

The reported strikes targeted senior Iranian leadership and key strategic sites, significantly escalating tensions in the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump said the action was intended to address what he described as security threats to the United States.

Khamenei, 86, had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, succeeding the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini. As supreme leader, he exercised ultimate authority over Iran’s political system, armed forces, judiciary, and state broadcasting apparatus, and played a decisive role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy.

For decades, Israel regarded Khamenei as a central figure in Iran’s regional strategy, citing Tehran’s support for allied groups including Hamas and Hezbollah. In June 2025, Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air conflict that included strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-related facilities. Israeli officials at the time publicly warned of potential escalation against Iran’s leadership.

A satellite image shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.

That conflict resulted in significant damage to Iranian military infrastructure and the deaths of several senior commanders and nuclear scientists. If confirmed, Khamenei’s death would represent a major development in Iran’s political structure and regional posture.

During his tenure, Khamenei maintained the ideological framework established by Khomeini, overseeing periods of domestic unrest and heightened tensions with Western governments. While Iran entered into a 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers aimed at limiting its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, relations deteriorated after the United States withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reinstated sanctions.

Since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, regional dynamics have shifted considerably. Iran’s allied groups have faced sustained military pressure, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a longtime partner of Tehran, was removed from power in December 2024.

The office of supreme leader, established after the 1979 revolution and codified in Iran’s constitution, grants a senior cleric ultimate authority over state institutions. The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, is constitutionally tasked with appointing and overseeing the supreme leader.