Israel has confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in the joint US–Israeli military strikes against the country on 28 February.
Earlier reports indicated that several high-ranking officials from the Iranian government, including Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and Minister of Defence Amir Hatami, were eliminated in the targeted strikes. By the afternoon, reports emerged about the possible death of Ali Khamenei, who had led the country since 1989 following the death of his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini.
Later, senior Israeli officials confirmed to Reuters that Khamenei’s body had been found among the ruins of his compound, which was destroyed in the strikes.
US President Donald Trump also confirmed and welcomed the death of Khamenei. ‘Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,’ he wrote on Saturday night on his Truth Social account. ‘This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all great Americans, and those people from many countries throughout the world, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei,’ Trump added.
Khamenei, 86, became Iran’s highest authority in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. As supreme leader, he exercised ultimate control over Iran’s political, military, and religious institutions, shaping domestic policy and guiding foreign relations.
Iran has yet to officially confirm his death. Earlier, Tehran vowed ‘crushing retaliation’ against both Israel and the United States, as well as their regional allies.
Washington and Tel Aviv launched the joint military operation early on Saturday following days of military build-up in the region, after nuclear talks with Tehran collapsed. In a video statement, Trump said the objective was to eliminate threats posed by the Iranian regime, declaring: ‘A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran…to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats.’
He also warned Iranian forces to stand down, telling them to lay down their arms or face ‘certain death’, while simultaneously calling on the Iranian population to rise against the government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the operation as a necessary step to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, calling Tehran an existential threat to Israel’s security.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán convened a meeting of the Defence Council on Saturday in response to the developments, highlighting the potential impact of the escalation on Hungary’s security. He said the government had decided to raise the terror threat alert level by one degree and confirmed that Hungarian soldiers serving in the Middle East have not been affected by the strikes.
Orbán also warned that the conflict is likely to drive significant increases in global energy prices. ‘In this situation, it is crucial that we break President Zelenskyy’s oil blockade against Hungary,’ he said, adding that ‘the countermeasures introduced against Ukraine will remain in force in the coming weeks’.
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