Netanyahu Suggests Iran’s Supreme Leader May Be Dead Following Strikes
By [Your Name], International Editor
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday suggested that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be dead, following a series of strikes targeting the country. The remarks came as tensions remain high following a coordinated operation between Israel and the United States in Iran.
“There are many indications that Khamenei ‘is no longer alive,’” Netanyahu said in a televised address, without definitively confirming the Iranian leader’s death. He stated that Khamenei’s compound had been destroyed and that commanders of the Revolutionary Guard and senior nuclear officials were eliminated.
The claims follow an earlier call by Netanyahu for the Iranian people to “take to the streets and finish the job.”
Iran’s foreign minister told NBC News that, to his knowledge, the supreme leader and president were still alive. However, Iran’s Al-Alam television reported that Khamenei would address the public, but a speech did not materialize.
The strikes, which began Saturday morning, targeted various locations across Iran. Iranian authorities condemned the attacks as unprovoked and illegal.
Netanyahu’s update followed a recorded message earlier in the day, where he stated that Israel’s operation with the U.S. would be “much more powerful” than a previous, short-lived conflict in June.
This is a developing story.
—With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
