Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack that extended into a second day Sunday, as the two powers seek to topple the Islamic republic.
Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric he described as “one of the most evil people in History.”
Cheers could be heard on Tehran’s streets after reports first emerged from Israel of the death of Khamenei, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the district where he usually resides, witnesses told AFP.
The attack came weeks after Iranian authorities ruthlessly put down mass protests, killing thousands.
Loud explosions again pierced Tehran in the early hours, as Trump vowed no let-up in the strikes until the fall of the Islamic republic and urged security forces to stand down.
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” Trump said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly said to Iranians, “This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future.”
Iran responded to the attack with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv as explosions rocked the showcase cities of Gulf Arab monarchies.
The Israeli army said that Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Khamenei, and the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were both also killed.
Along with Khamenei, Iranian media said that his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were killed.
One prominent survivor, Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, vowed defiance.
“The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors,” he said.
