Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in Israeli strikes? Here's what we know

Khamenei, aged 86, has been Iran's supreme leader since 1989, succeeding the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and has maintained ultimate authority over Iran's government, military, and judiciary

• Reports claim Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei killed or injured
• US-Israel strikes targeted Khamenei's residence in Tehran
• Khamenei has not been seen or heard since the attacks

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As the world watches the worsening crisis in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, there are reports emerging from the region that the military operations may have eliminated Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A Daily Mail report citing Israeli media says that Khamenei was killed or at least injured during the first wave of US and Israeli strikes earlier today.

Channel 12 cited unnamed Israeli sources saying Khamenei may have been killed in the morning air strikes or suffered significant harm.

Israel Iran War News Live: Iran's Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh killed in strikes, reports Reuters

This comes at a time when both BBC and New York Times also reporting about significant damages at the presidential compound in Tehran.

Video footage from Tehran shows smoke rising from the compound, identified as Khamenei's official residence has gone viral on social media.

The Daily Mail citing officials previously indicated that the attacks caused severe damage to the Iranian leadership and its military commanders.

However, asked about reports regarding Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's status after the attacks, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei is still alive "as far as I know." Araghchi said most senior officials survived the strikes and dismissed claims that Khamenei had been killed.

Khamenei has not been heard from since the dual US-Israel operation began on Saturday morning. Israeli sources claim that President Donald Trump specifically targeted Khamenei in the initial joint missile strikes, which are believed to have occurred near his offices in Tehran.

The full impact of the strikes remains unclear, although earlier reports suggested that Khamenei had been moved to a secure location

Khamenei, aged 86, has been Iran's supreme leader since 1989, succeeding the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and has maintained ultimate authority over Iran's government, military, and judiciary. He has also served as the country's spiritual leader throughout his tenure.

Khamenei's leadership has been defined by tensions with the West, particularly the United States, and relations with the Trump administration deteriorated sharply in recent weeks amid US naval deployments in the region. Trump had sought to curb Iran's nuclear program, while Khamenei insisted on Iran's right to uranium enrichment for civilian purposes, denying any intention to develop nuclear weapons.