Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Killed in Joint US-Israeli Airstrikes, State Media Confirms – Family Members Including Daughter Also Dead
In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Iranian state media has officially confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's paramount leader since 1989. The 86-year-old cleric was killed in a targeted airstrike on his compound in Tehran during a major joint military operation carried out by the United States and Israel on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The confirmation came early Sunday morning local time via outlets including IRNA, Tasnim News, and Fars News Agency, which described Khamenei as having been "martyred" in the "criminal joint attack by the United States and the Zionist regime." Iranian state television broadcast emotional announcements, declaring a 40-day period of national mourning and seven public holidays. Reports indicate the strike hit Khamenei's office or residential complex in central Tehran as part of a broader campaign dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," aimed at degra...