Israel claims Iran's Supreme Leader killed, Tehran says a case of 'mental warfare'
Published: 08:02 PM,Feb 28,2026 | EDITED : 12:03 AM,Mar 01,2026
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and US strikes, a senior Israeli official told Reuters on Saturday.
There was no immediate Iranian confirmation of his fate.
A senior Israeli official told Reuters on Saturday that Khamenei was killed in Israeli and US strikes.
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 U.S. and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.
Khamenei, 86, became Iran's highest authority in 1989, following the death of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The post of Supreme Leader was created after the 1979 revolution and enshrined in Iran's constitution, giving a top cleric ultimate authority over the president and parliament.
The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, formally selects the leader.