Senior Israeli official: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed in IDF strike
The 36-year ruler died in the opening blow of “Roaring Lion,” with a photo of his body reportedly presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The end of the dictator who ruled Iran for 36 consecutive years with a harsh and brutal hand: A senior Israeli official has confirmed that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the opening strike of Operation Roar of the Lions.
The 86-year-old Khamenei had reportedly been in poor health, and for years there had been speculation in Iran and abroad about who would succeed him. In recent months, since Operation Rising Lion, reports indicated that he had been hiding in a bunker in Tehran with his family. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement this evening that the compound where Khamenei was staying had been destroyed and that “it is possible that the dictator is gone.” Shortly afterward, a senior official said that a body believed to be his had been found and that a photo of his body was presented to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Khamenei was born in Mashhad. As a young man, he studied at the religious seminary in Qom and was engaged in teaching Islamic studies. Among his teachers was Ruhollah Khomeini. Due to his political activities against the Shah’s government, he was arrested several times during the 1960s by security forces. After his release, he was barred from teaching.
He remained close to Khomeini during his exile in France and assisted him during the Iranian Revolution. Following Khomeini’s return to Iran, Khamenei was appointed to several senior positions, including Deputy Minister of Defense, member of the Revolutionary Council, and Khomeini’s representative on the Supreme Defense Council.
In 1981, during an assassination attempt on the party’s leadership in which the general secretary was killed, Khamenei was wounded and later appointed to the role. That same year, he ran for president and was elected President of Iran. He was re-elected in 1985.
As president, Khamenei shared Khomeini’s religious and ideological worldview, which included opposition to Western influence and hostility toward Israel. After Khomeini’s death in 1989, Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader of Iran, a position he held for more than three decades.
