Israel claims Khamenei killed in US-Israel strikes on Iran, Trump says he feels reports ‘correct’

Iraqi Shiites carry a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest against US and Israeli attacks on Iran at a bridge leading to Green Zone where the US embassy is located, in Baghdad on February 28, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Multiple Israeli sources claim Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes, though Tehran denies it. US officials, including Trump, consider the reports credible, but there’s no official confirmation from Iran.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Saturday’s massive US and Israeli strikes on Iran, according to multiple Israeli sources quoted by CNN, Axios and The Washington Post, even as Tehran earlier insisted its leadership was “safe and sound.”

Axios reported that Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike carried out as part of a large scale joint military operation between the United States and Israel. Citing Israel’s ambassador to Washington, the outlet said US officials were informed of Khamenei’s death following the strike.

An Israeli official confirmed to Axios that Khamenei was dead and that his body had been recovered from his destroyed compound, based on Israeli intelligence assessments.

CNN and The Washington Post also cited Israeli sources indicating that the 86-year-old leader had been killed in the operation. There has been no official confirmation from Iranian authorities regarding his death.

US President Donald Trump told NBC that “we feel” the reports of Khamenei’s death are “correct,” signaling that Washington considers the intelligence credible. "We feel that that is a correct story," he was quoted as saying by NBC News.

Earlier, two Israeli television networks reported that a photograph of Khamenei's body had been shown to Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"A photo of the body was shown to Netanyahu and Trump," reported Channel 12.

"Senior Israeli officials were informed of Khamenei's elimination. His body was recovered from the rubble of his compound," reported public broadcaster Kan. There has been no confirmation of Khamenei's death from Tehran.

News agency AFP quoted witnesses saying that loud cheers echoed across parts of Tehran and residents took to their windows to applaud and play celebratory music after reports of Khamenei's death.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were indications that Khamenei may have been killed in a strike on his compound during the ongoing US Israeli operation.

In a televised statement, Netanyahu described the attack as a decisive blow delivered in the heart of Tehran.

"This morning, in a powerful surprise strike, the compound of the tyrant Ali Khamenei was destroyed in the heart of Tehran... and there are many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive," Netanyahu said.

Khamenei, who has led Iran since 1989, is one of the world’s longest-serving leaders and the ultimate authority over Iran’s military, nuclear and foreign policy decisions. His reported death marks a potentially historic turning point for the Islamic republic.