Reports from multiple outlets say Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini was killed in Saturday’s air strikes, with Israeli and U.S. officials confirming significant blows to the regime’s leadership and infrastructure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Iran’s compound was destroyed and senior figures were eliminated, while people in Tehran were seen celebrating amid the chaos. This account pulls together verified statements, eyewitness reactions, and initial damage reports to outline what is known so far about the strikes and their immediate aftermath.

BREAKING: Iran’s Ayatollah Khameini Confirmed Dead

Initial briefings indicate that the strikes on Saturday hit high-value targets connected to Iran’s nuclear and military programs and that Ayatollah Ali Khameini, 86, was among those killed. Multiple international outlets reported the death, and Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, informed U.S. officials of the development shortly after Israeli leadership spoke to the nation. Senior Israeli spokespeople later confirmed to U.S. media that the supreme leader had been taken out in the operation.

The operation appears to have included coordinated air strikes that targeted the inner circles of Iran’s leadership as well as facilities tied to weapons and missile development. Authorities say those strikes destroyed both command elements and infrastructure, and early assessments point to substantial damage across multiple sites. Officials also reported that several Revolutionary Guard commanders and nuclear program figures were eliminated in the same wave of attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation after the strikes and described the operation in stark terms, claiming decisive hits on the ayatollahs’ regime. His remarks framed the strikes as a targeted effort to dismantle the regime’s ability to threaten the region. Netanyahu said Israel would continue to press its advantage, indicating more operations could follow in the coming days.

“This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei.

“There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer. This morning we eliminated senior officials in the ayatollahs’ regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear program – and we will continue. In the next few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime.”

Fox News also received confirmation from senior Israeli officials that Khameini had been killed in the strikes, adding another layer of corroboration to the reports circulating internationally. As responses poured in, social media and on-the-ground witnesses showed citizens in Tehran reacting to the news, with some scenes described as celebrations. Those public reactions underscore how sudden and disruptive the strikes were to the regime’s center of power.

Khameini had led the Islamic Republic since 1989 and had been the focal point of Iran’s ideological and strategic posture for decades. In recent months he reportedly went into hiding after earlier attacks targeted his inner circle, including strikes that killed close associates and senior Revolutionary Guard figures. Those prior operations had already degraded some of the regime’s capabilities, and Saturday’s strikes appear to have gone further in removing key leadership and programmatic assets.

Damage assessments are underway and officials caution that details will change as investigators complete surveys of the targeted sites. Early reports suggest multiple top leaders may have been killed, but final casualty and damage tallies will require forensic work and confirmation from multiple independent sources. Intelligence services and military assessors from regional partners are coordinating to map the full extent of the hits.

For those watching from Washington and allied capitals, the strikes mark a major escalation in the campaign to neutralize Iran’s capacity to project terror and pursue nuclear weapons. Republican voices on national security praise decisive action and view these operations as the kind of strong response that deters adversaries. The administration credited with supporting allied pressure framed the outcome as enforcement of a tough stance that has shifted strategic calculations in the region.

What happens next is uncertain, but the immediate diplomatic and security consequences will be felt across the Middle East. Regional militaries, shipping lanes, and intelligence networks will all recalibrate in response to the sudden removal of a central figure in Iran’s command structure. As assessments continue, governments and analysts will watch for retaliatory moves, shifts in proxy operations, and any attempts by remaining regime elements to reconstitute command and control.

Until independent verification is complete, this remains a fast-moving story with evolving facts. Authorities promise updates as damage reports and confirmations come in, and international observers will be monitoring both the on-the-ground situation in Iran and the wider geopolitical ripple effects.