(Web Desk) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there were signs that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in an attack on his compound as part of US-Israeli strikes.
"This morning, in a powerful surprise strike, the compound of Ali Khamenei was destroyed in the heart of Tehran... and there are many signs that he is no longer alive," Netanyahu said in a televised statement.
There was no immediate Iranian confirmation of his fate. The United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting its top leaders and plunging the Middle East into a conflict that President Donald Trump said would end a security threat to the US and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.
Khamenei alive and well: Iran
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim and Mehr news agencies are reporting that the country’s Supreme Leader Khamenei is “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.
آیت الله سید حالش کاملا خوب است و در حال حاضر ارتش و سپاه ایران را در شرایط جنگی و اضطراری رهبری می کند.
— True Promise - الوعد الصادق (@IRTruePromise) February 28, 2026This contradicts reports from Reuters and Israeli media that he was killed today in the US-Israeli air strikes.
The US president has told ABC News that he believes “a lot” of Iranian leadership has been killed in US and Israeli strikes.
When asked directly if the administration believes that Iranian leadership were killed, Trump replied: “A lot of it is, yeah. But we don’t know all, but a lot of it is. Was a very powerful strike.”
He said the attacks will continue “as long as we wanted to”.
Seven high-ranking Iranian officials killed: Israel
Effie Defrin, the spokesperson for the Israeli military, has just made a televised address in which he claimed Israel has killed several top Iranian officials in attacks on Iran.
The most prominent of those Israel claims to have killed is Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of Iran’s National Security Council and close adviser to Supreme Leader Khamenei.
Defrin also claimed to have killed Mohammad Pakpour, a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Amir Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defence minister.
He added that Israeli warplanes targeted several locations across Iran, especially missile launcher sites.
Defrin did not define a timeframe when a reporter asked how long military operations would continue.
Key Iranian decision-makers ‘gone’: Trump US President Donald Trump said that "the people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone.”
Trump has offered his clearest statement yet on the reported killing of Khamenei, which, as we’ve been reporting, has been claimed by Reuters and the Israeli media, citing unnamed sources.
Addressing the reports that Khamenei was killed, Trump told NBC News: “We feel that that is a correct story”.
Trump further said that “most” of Iran’s senior leadership is “gone”.
“The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone,” he said.
President Donald J. Trump Monitors U.S. Military Operations in Iran: Operation Epic Fury, February 28, 2026 pic.twitter.com/OfnMkmBZ8G
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026Khamenei, 86, became Iran’s highest authority in 1989, following the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini. As supreme leader, he held ultimate control over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions, shaping domestic policy and guiding foreign relations.
Iran has launched missile attack against Israel after a “major combat operation” was commenced by the US and Israel on Saturday, pushing the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West.
According to reports, Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones, which triggered air raid sirens across Israel under operation “Fateh Khyber”.
The attack reportedly targeted northern Israel, including the area of Hafizah, where explosions were heard. The capital, Tel Aviv, also experienced blasts, indicating the scale of the Iranian counter strikes.
Iranian military officials confirmed the launch of numerous missiles and drones, which have struck key locations in Israel.