Iran confirms supreme leader Khamenei is dead after US, Israeli attacks

Iranian state media has confirmed the death of suprreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks.

An anchor on Iranian state media announced Khamenei’s death, reading out a statement in Farsi through tears.

“After a lifetime of Hosseini struggle, unceasing and untiring, with a lofty and celestial spirit like the steadfast mountain of (the Islamic) guardianship , the compassionate father of kindness and resolve, the Leader and Imam of the Muslims, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, on the path of upholding the exaltation of the sacred sanctuary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, drank the sweet, pure drought of martyrdom and joined the Supreme Heavenly Kingdom,” the statement read.

Khamenei survived an assassination attempt in 1981 that cost him the use of his right arm. He served as Iran’s president before succeeding Khomeini as supreme leader in 1989.

The US and Israel have launched a major combat attack on Iran, the Israeli defence minister said on Saturday. Iran has responded swiftly and has targeted key Israeli cities with a barrage of Ballistic missiles.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced a first wave of missile and drone attacks against Israel in retaliation for the strikes, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Israel’s military said it had protectively sounded air raid sirens in areas across the country “to prepare the public for the possibility of missiles being launched toward Israel” in retaliation.