Al‑Khamenei, who has been Iran’s political and religious supreme leader since 1989, is allegedly dead according to unconfirmed reports from Israel. The Iranian government immediately denies any such claim. Israeli insiders say that the body of the Iranian leader was reportedly discovered under rubble in Tehran after air strikes carried out by Israel and the United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly showed a documentary of the site to the media. On Saturday, he appeared on Israeli television and said there were indications that Iran’s top leader was “no longer among us” though it is unclear whether he had seen any photographs of a corpse at that time.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a denial, stating that Al‑Khamenei is “well‑placed and safe”.
Al‑Khamenei, 86, has been the most powerful figure in the Islamic Republic since 1989. Before that, from 1981, he served as president under Ayatollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
