US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was dead following an unprecedented joint military assault by Israel and the United States.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
The large-scale strikes triggered immediate retaliation from Tehran, which launched a barrage of missiles that sent residents scrambling for cover in cities across the Middle East.
Iranian authorities urged civilians to evacuate Tehran, a city of roughly 10 million people. The country’s Red Crescent society reported that at least 201 people were killed in the strikes, with more than 700 others injured.
A video verified by AFP showed residents surveying damage at an impact site in Tehran after the US-Israeli strikes.
Iran’s judiciary said one strike on a school in the south killed 108 people. However, AFP journalists were unable to independently verify the casualty figures or circumstances at the site.
In the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates reported one civilian fatality and damage in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Iranian missiles. Explosions from Tehran’s retaliatory fire and defensive interceptions were also heard across Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait.
“This morning, in a powerful surprise strike, the compound of the tyrant Ali Khamenei was destroyed in the heart of Tehran… and there are many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive,” Netanyahu said in a televised address.
Witnesses in Tehran reported hearing cheers on the streets following reports of Khamenei’s death.
Plumes of black smoke were seen rising over Tehran’s Pasteur district, where Khamenei is known to reside. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that 30 bombs were dropped on the compound.
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei was alive “as far as I know”, adding that “all high-ranking officials are alive”.
When asked by the BBC about the supreme leader’s status, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said he was “not in a situation to confirm anything”, but stressed that “the whole system, the whole nation is focused on defending (our) national integrity”.
Netanyahu signalled further escalation, warning that “thousands” of targets would be struck in the coming days. Iran’s top security leadership vowed strong retaliation.
“This morning we eliminated senior figures in the ayatollahs’ regime — commanders in the Revolutionary Guards and senior officials in the nuclear programme –, and we will continue,” Netanyahu said.
Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, declared: “The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors.”
Residents of Tehran were going about their daily routines when the strikes began. Security forces quickly deployed across the capital, shops shut their doors, and streets emptied, according to an AFP correspondent.
“I saw with my own eyes two Tomahawk missiles flying horizontally toward targets,” a Tehran office worker told AFP before communications were cut.
The Red Crescent said 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces were affected.
In Israel, streets were largely deserted as residents sheltered from incoming missiles. Emergency officials reported two injuries.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that the Strait of Hormuz had been shut, according to Iranian media and the EU’s naval mission.
The attacks followed weeks of mounting tension, with Trump voicing frustration over Iran’s position in nuclear and missile negotiations.
Trump said Washington’s objective was “eliminating imminent threats” from Iran, while Netanyahu described the operation as targeting an “existential threat”.
“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” Trump said.
He also addressed the Iranian public directly, saying the “hour of your freedom is at hand”, and urging them to rise up and “take over your government”.
The operation marks the largest US military action aimed at regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Netanyahu echoed the call, telling Iranians it was time to “cast off the yoke of tyranny”.
Israel’s army chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, said the operation was “taking place at a completely different scale” than the 12-day conflict fought against Iran in June, which the United States briefly joined.
A military statement described the assault as “an extensive attack”, calling it “the largest military air raid in the history of the Israeli Air Force”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed their “missiles and drones have struck the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other American bases in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as military and security centres in the heart of the occupied territories (Israel)”.
Airspace closures were announced across Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel, with numerous airlines suspending Middle East operations.
Residents in the capitals of the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain reported multiple explosions from Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
In Qatar, panic erupted as a missile fell into a residential neighbourhood, exploding in a fireball on impact.
In Abu Dhabi, golfers reportedly watched in shock as dozens of projectiles streaked across the sky.
In Bahrain’s capital, Manama, authorities evacuated residents from the Juffair district, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“When we heard the sounds, we cried out of fear,” said Jana Hassan, a 15-year-old student in the area. “I will never forget the sound of those loud blasts.”
Witnesses in Dubai reported hearing an explosion and seeing smoke rise from The Palm, with authorities confirming four people were injured.
Oman’s foreign ministry, which has mediated recent US-Iran talks, called “on all parties to immediately cease military operations” and urged the UN Security Council to enforce a ceasefire.
AFP