KHAMENEI KILLED: U.S. AND ISRAEL LAUNCH HISTORIC STRIKES ON IRAN IN ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assassinated at Tehran compound as joint American-Israeli offensive targets military leadership, nuclear infrastructure, and missile systems across 24 provinces; Iran vows unprecedented retaliation
TEHRAN / WASHINGTON / TEL AVIV — March 1, 2026
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed on Saturday in a sweeping joint U.S.-Israeli military operation that targeted his compound in central Tehran, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday. The death of the man who had led the Islamic Republic since 1989 marks one of the most seismic events in modern Middle Eastern history and has plunged the region into deep uncertainty.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by U.S. officials, was described as having been planned for months and executed with what one senior U.S. defense official called “full synchronization and coordination” between the American and Israeli militaries. Iranian state news agency IRIB confirmed that Khamenei was killed at his workplace, the Beit Rahbari compound, where he had been “carrying out his assigned duties” at the moment of the strike.
President Donald Trump announced the death on his Truth Social platform, writing that Khamenei was “one of the most evil people in History.” Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue through the week, or for as long as necessary to achieve the operation’s goals.
THE STRIKE AND ITS TARGETS
The joint U.S.-Israel operation, which officials say was planned for months, took place during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan and at the start of the Iranian work week. A senior U.S. defense official said the strike had to be moved up based on intelligence and a “target of opportunity,” noting there was “a deliberate decision to accelerate the timeline.”
Israel’s military confirmed that among those killed were Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the secretary of the Iranian Security Council — a close adviser to Khamenei. Also killed were Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, who were present at the compound at the time of the attack.
Saturday’s strikes targeted 24 provinces, killing at least 201 people according to Iranian Red Crescent reports. In one of the most devastating individual incidents of the bombardment, a strike killed over 100 students at an elementary school for girls in Iran, according to state media.
New satellite imagery released by Airbus captured the scale of destruction at Khamenei’s residence, showing multiple structures within the secure Tehran compound appearing heavily damaged or destroyed.
TRUMP: “THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE”
In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump said “the people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone,” adding that “a large amount of leadership” in Iran had been killed. He called on the IRGC and Iranian police to “peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots” and said he knew who would lead Iran going forward, but declined to name the individual publicly.
Democrats decried that Trump had taken military action without congressional authorization. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the administration had briefed several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress in advance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the operation as an existential necessity. Netanyahu said the goal of the joint attack was to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran,” adding that the action would “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
IRAN’S RETALIATION: REGION ON THE BRINK
Iran has responded with a massive wave of retaliatory strikes. The IRGC said it launched attacks on 27 bases hosting U.S. troops in the Middle East, as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv. Explosions continued to be heard in Qatar and the UAE.
Iran fired approximately 400 missiles at Israel and targeted U.S. military installations in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. In a dramatic escalation, Iran also struck civilian landmarks in Dubai, including areas near the Burj Khalifa and the Palm Hotel and Resort.
The IRGC announced it would launch what it called the “most-intense offensive operation in the history of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” targeting Israel and what it described as “American terrorist bases.”
Israel’s military announced a new wave of strikes targeting Iranian ballistic missile arrays and aerial defense systems.
LEADERSHIP VACUUM AND SUCCESSION CRISIS
Khamenei’s death leaves Iran without a clear successor for the first time since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979. Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, told Al Jazeera that Iran “has a plan” in place for such an eventuality, likely involving a council to run the country.
Iran has declared 40 days of national mourning and seven days of public holidays. Eyewitness accounts from Tehran described a dramatically divided public — with some residents mourning in the streets while in other parts of the capital, cheers echoed and residents took to their windows to play celebratory music.
INTERNATIONAL REACTION
European Union leaders issued a joint statement calling for restraint, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa urging “all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to protect civilians, and to fully respect international law,” while warning of the importance of nuclear safety. Cuba condemned the strikes as a violation of Iranian sovereignty. Protests erupted across Iraq, Pakistan, and Lebanon.
WHO WAS KHAMENEI?
Born on April 19, 1939 in the religious city of Mashhad, Khamenei rose from a clerical family to become one of the most powerful figures in modern Islamic governance. He was among the central figures of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and became Iran’s third president in 1981 after surviving an assassination attempt by bomb blast. Following the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, constitutional amendments were made to elevate Khamenei to the position of Supreme Leader — a post he held for nearly 36 years, wielding ultimate authority over Iran’s government, military, and judiciary.
BACKGROUND: WHY DID IT COME TO THIS?
The strikes marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration had attacked Iran during talks over its nuclear program. The underlying tensions stem from Iran’s nuclear ambitions, its ballistic missile program, U.S. support for Israel, Iran’s backing of regional proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, and decades of crippling American economic sanctions.
Though Trump had pronounced the Iranian nuclear program obliterated in strikes the previous year, intelligence showed Iran had rebuilt infrastructure and developed the capability to produce high-quality centrifuges — a key step toward weapons-grade enriched uranium.
This is a developing story. The situation is rapidly evolving and further details will be updated as they become available.
