On Saturday night, the first evening of the second American-Israeli military campaign against Iran in less than a year, an Israeli official made a dramatic announcement to reporters — that the Israeli Air Force had assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 86-year-old supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
US President Donald Trump asserted as much shortly afterward, writing on Truth Social that “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead.”
And hours later, Iran’s state media confirmed what had increasingly been clear — that the ayatollah had indeed been slain.
Khamenei’s loss is a colossal blow for a regime that was already under intense domestic pressure from its population, and is now being overwhelmed by a carefully planned campaign by two of the world’s best air forces.
“Even if he had died in natural circumstances, it would be a major shake-up for the regime,” said Raz Zimmt, Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies.
Originally published on March 1, 2026.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
