Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei found dead after IDF airstrike, Israeli officals say

Israeli officials confirmed to media outlets that the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the “Supreme Leader” of the Islamic Republic since 1989, was found in the ruins of his palace compound in the capital of Tehran, after Israeli fighter jets reportedly dropped 30 munitions on it earlier on Saturday.

The confirmation came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a televised speech, reported that there were “many signs” the assassination had succeeded. Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that the prime minister was shown footage of Khamenei’s body being recovered.

An earlier Channel 12 report said that Israel, taking the lead on the “decapitation” campaign while the U.S. focused on military targets, bombed the compound with around 30 munitions, while Khamenei was underground but not in one of two particularly deep bunkers.

We obtained the first known satellite image of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound in Tehran. There are several destroyed buildings. While the current whereabouts of Iran's supreme leader are unknown, the compound is generally used as his official residence. 🛰️📸: @Airbus pic.twitter.com/48krjclMBL

— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) February 28, 2026

The New York Times published satellite pictures showing the destroyed compound. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, later told media outlets that Khamenei was alive “as far as I know,” and his spokesman Esmail Baghaei told ABC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were “safe and sound.”

Jason Brodsky, policy director at the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) think tank, commented that the satellite image suggested that Khamenei “may have been meeting with top officials in this aboveground structure in the Office of the Supreme Leader's compound when Israel hit it.”

“This is the place where he hosted meetings and receptions,” Brodsky added. “This required precise intelligence on Khamenei's movements, with infiltration likely in the IRGC's Vali Amr Protection Corps (which guard Khamenei).”

Based on the satellite imagery, I believe #Iran's regime's supreme leader may have been meeting with top officials in this aboveground structure in the Office of the Supreme Leader's compound when Israel hit it. This is the place where he hosted meetings and receptions. This… pic.twitter.com/Fy2VlbOOlQ

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) February 28, 2026

Several reports also indicated that members of Khamenei’s family – possibly including his son and potential successor, Mojtaba – as well as his military secretary and close advisor Ali Shamkhani, were among those killed.

An IDF official told Axios, “Three sites where gatherings of the Iranian regime were taking place were struck simultaneously, and several senior figures essential to the management of the campaign and the regime’s governance were eliminated.”

Reuters and Israeli sources had agreed earlier that the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Mohammad Pakpour, and the regime’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh were also killed, while Pezeshkian’s fate was unclear.

Other senior leaders reportedly targeted but whose condition was unclear at the time of publication included army chief, Sayyid Abdolrahim Mousavi, IRGC Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani, and IRGC Air Force Chief Majid Mousavi, who directs Iran’s ballistic missile attacks.

The secretary of Iranian Supreme National Security Council and another possible successor, Ali Larijani, was reportedly also targeted. However, on his 𝕏 account late Saturday, he threatened to “make the Zionist criminals and the shameless Americans regret their actions. The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will deliver an unforgettable lesson to the hellish international oppressors.”

Channel 12 reported that around 30 key regime leaders and military commanders were targeted within less than a minute on Saturday.

Kan News cited Cabinet ministers saying that the U.S.-Israeli operation against the regime was scheduled to last for about a week, but noted it could be shortened if Khamenei’s death caused mass protests against the regime.

In his speech, Netanyahu mentioned Israel had eliminated IRGC commanders, senior Iranian regime officials and senior nuclear officials. He vowed to “hit thousands of targets of the terror regime” in the coming days, creating conditions to allow the Iranian people to “free itself from the chains of dictatorship.”

The operation against Iran “will continue as long as is necessary,” he stressed, vowing the operation would “lead to peace, true peace.”

Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli joint attack, the regime launched around 150 ballistic missiles at Israel, IDF officials said, most of which came in relatively small barrages of missiles but targeted most parts of the country.

Most were intercepted by the IDF’s air defenses, while some fell in open areas. There were several reports of impacts by missiles and shrapnel, but no reports of serious injuries or significant damage.

The regime also fired dozens of drones at Israel, which did not cause any significant damage.

In addition, the regime fired dozens of missiles at American bases around the region, including in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and others.

As the President stated, our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.

The President ordered bold action. CENTCOM forces are delivering an overwhelming and unrelenting blow. pic.twitter.com/B0k5gV4YnU

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 28, 2026

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that some American bases sustained only “minimal” damage and emphasized that no U.S. personnel were injured.

“US and partner forces began striking targets at 1:15 am ET to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that posed an imminent threat,” CENTCOM said in a first statement regarding the joint strikes, adding, “Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat.”

CENTCOM added that it had “successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks,” noting there “have been no reports of US casualties or combat-related injuries. Damage to US installations was minimal and has not impacted operations.”