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Iranian
Supreme
Leader
Ali
Khamenei
Reported
Killed
in Joint
U.S.-Israeli
Strike
Patricia
Romero -
International
-
Politics
Tell Us
USA News
Network
TEHRAN -
Reports
are
surfacing
that
Iranian
Supreme
Leader
Ayatollah
Ali
Khamenei
has been
killed
following
a
massive
series
of
coordinated
airstrikes
by U.S.
and
Israeli
forces.
The
operation,
which
began
early
Saturday
morning,
specifically
targeted
high-level
leadership
compounds
and
military
infrastructure
across
the
Islamic
Republic.
Israeli
Prime
Minister
Benjamin
Netanyahu
stated
in a
televised
address
that
there
are
growing
signs
the
86-year-old
leader
is no
longer
alive.
While
Iranian
state
media
initially
claimed
the
Supreme
Leader
had been
moved to
a secure
location,
several
international
news
outlets
and
Israeli
intelligence
sources
now
report
that his
primary
compound
in
central
Tehran
was
leveled
during
the
opening
salvo of
the
attack.
The
military
campaign,
reportedly
dubbed
Operation
Epic
Fury by
the
United
States,
involved
precision
strikes
from
air,
land,
and sea.
U.S.
President
Donald
Trump
described
the
mission
as a
major
combat
operation
intended
to
eliminate
imminent
threats
and
dismantle
Iran’s
nuclear
capabilities.
Strikes
hit the
Supreme
Leader’s
compound,
the
Ministry
of
Intelligence,
and
various
IRGC
command
centers.
Early estimates from the Iranian Red Crescent suggest over 200 people have
been
killed
nationwide,
with
hundreds
more
injured.
Iran has
reportedly
launched
retaliatory
drone
and
missile
strikes
against
U.S.
bases in
the
Persian
Gulf and
targets
within
Israel.
The
situation
on the
ground
remains
chaotic.
Internet
connectivity
in Iran
has
plummeted,
and
mobile
services
in the
capital
are
largely
non-functional.
While
some
Iranian
officials
continue
to deny
the
reports
of
Khamenei’s
death,
calling
them
Zionist
propaganda,
they
have yet
to
provide
proof of
life or
a
broadcast
from the
leader.
If
confirmed,
the
death of
Ali
Khamenei
would
mark the
end of a
37-year
reign
and
trigger
a
massive
power
vacuum.
Under
the
Iranian
constitution,
the
Assembly
of
Experts
would be
tasked
with
selecting
a
successor,
though
names
like
Mojtaba
Khamenei
and
various
senior
clerics
have
long
been the
subject
of
intense
speculation.
World
leaders
are
calling
for
restraint
as the
region
stands
on the
brink of
a total
conventional
war.
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