Iran Leader Death was announced after coordinated US and Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several senior Iranian officials and members of his family, Iranian state media reported and US President Donald Trump confirmed, according to those sources.
Officials said the operation relied on long‑running intelligence. The New York Times reported the C.I.A. tracked Khamenei and shared timely location information with Israel, which adjusted strike timing, and Israel said fighter jets and long‑range munitions struck multiple Tehran sites.
The Israel Defense Forces said the opening wave killed dozens of senior commanders and targeted Iran’s aerial defenses so its air force could operate over Tehran, while Iran’s state outlets and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed retaliation, according to those reports.
Regional Retaliation Impact And Global Reactions
Tehran launched waves of missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf states, and Gulf countries reported multiple interceptions and some impacts, the UAE defense ministry and CNN said, noting Iran launched 165 ballistic missiles, 541 drones and two cruise missiles, with most intercepted.
The UAE said three foreign nationals died after some Iranian drones penetrated air defenses, and Israeli police reported a missile strike on a residential building near Jerusalem that killed five or six people and wounded many more, according to their statements.
The US military said three US service members have been killed and five wounded, as reported by CBC, while rights groups and Iranian officials offered differing civilian tolls in Iran, including HRANA’s figure of at least 133 dead and a local prosecutor’s report of 148 children killed at a girls’ school.
Shipping and aviation were disrupted, with Hapag‑Lloyd suspending Strait of Hormuz transits and FlightAware and FlightRadar24 logging thousands of delays and cancellations, according to CNN and The New York Times coverage of route and airport closures.
World and regional leaders reacted: China’s foreign minister called the attack unacceptable, the EU’s foreign policy chief said Khamenei’s death was defining, the pope urged an end to violence, and North Korea condemned the strikes, as reported in the assembled coverage.
Inside Iran, authorities set formal mourning and named a transitional leadership trio, IRNA reported, while prominent clerics issued calls for revenge, Tasnim reported. US embassies in the region warned citizens to avoid diplomatic compounds and military sites, according to official alerts.
Reporting also noted widespread misinformation online after the strikes, with The New York Times documenting outdated and AI‑generated videos circulating alongside genuine footage, complicating verification of battlefield reports.
