Iran leader Khamenei killed in massive U.S. and Israeli attack

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack that extended into a second day Sunday, as the two powers seek to topple the Islamic republic. Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric he described as “one of the most evil people in history.” Cheers could be heard on Tehran’s streets after reports first emerged from Israel of the death of Khamenei, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the district where he usually resides, witnesses told AFP. The attack came weeks after Iranian authorities ruthlessly put down mass protests, killing thousands.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed “severe, decisive” punishment for Khamenei’s “murderers” in a statement. The Guards added they would launch the “most ferocious” operation in history against Israel and US bases, which are located in Gulf countries that are already counting the cost of an unprecedented series of deadly Iranian strikes. Loud blasts again pierced Tehran in the early hours, as Trump vowed no let-up in the strikes until the fall of the Islamic republic and urged security forces to stand down.

“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” Trump said in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly said to Iranians, “This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future.” Iran responded to the attack with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv as explosions rocked the showcase cities of Gulf Arab monarchies.