Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during military strikes carried out Saturday by the United States and Israel, Reuters reported, citing Israeli officials.
President Donald Trump announced the United States military launched strikes, identified as Operation Epic Fury, in a video posted to Truth Social early Saturday morning. Khamenei’s body was subsequently recovered, Reuters National Security Correspondent Idrees Ali reported, citing Israeli sources.
Senior israeli official to Reuters: Khamenei dead, his body has been found.
— Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) February 28, 2026
Video posted on X appeared to show Khamenei’s residence had been hit during the strikes, with a woman claiming, “They hit the Supreme Leader[‘s] compound.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were increasing indications Khamenei did not survive in earlier remarks to the Israeli people Saturday.
“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his country with an update saying that the Israelis targeted the compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei. And Netanyahu goes on to say there are many signs that he is no longer,” Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reported on air. “Again, not confirmation that he was killed, but the Israelis think they were successful in the strike against Iran’s Supreme Leader.”
During a Saturday interview with NBC News, Trump appeared to concur with the Israeli assessment.
“We feel that that is a correct story,” Trump reportedly said, adding, “The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone.”
Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that five to ten other leadership figures in Iran’s theocratic regime were also killed in the strike.
In January 2026, Khamenei issued multiple threats against Trump on social media, including depicting the president in a coffin. Trump told NewsNation host Katie Pavlich in a Jan. 21 interview that, if Khamenei’s threat were ever carried out, the United States would “wipe [Iran] off the face of this earth.”
Women laughing on a rooftop in Tehran: “They hit the Supreme Leader compound.”
28 Feb 2026pic.twitter.com/W0XxueBDg9— Khosro K Isfahani (@KhosroIsfahani) February 28, 2026
Trump previously warned Iran not to harm protesters who oppose the regime, including threatening action if the regime hanged demonstrators who had been arrested. While Iran reportedly didn’t hang any of the 800 protesters Trump referenced, the theocratic regime’s forces have allegedly killed thousands of others.
In June 2025, the United States bombed multiple facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan which reportedly supported Iran’s nuclear weapons program, dropping as many as 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators. The operation, which involved a 37-hour flight by seven United States Air Force B-2A Spirit bombers, inflicted significant damage to Iran’s nuclear program with no American losses.
Khamenei, a follower of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, became involved in anti-Shah activism from the 1960s, according to his official biography. After the 1979 Revolution, he held multiple positions, before becoming president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
After Khomenei’s death in 1989, Khamenei was named Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Council of Experts. During his tenure, multiple protests against his regime were violently suppressed and Iranian proxies carried out terrorist attacks against Israel.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
