Amid the death rumours of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday sauid there are signs that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei 'is no longer' alive. In a televised address to the nation, the Israeli PM said "We have destroyed Khamenei's compound, killed Revolutionary Guard commanders and senior nuclear officials." Khamenei has not been seen in public since the operation began.
In the escalating conflict, at least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured in US-Israeli strikes across Iran, state media reported on Saturday, citing the Iranian Red Crescent. The attacks, which hit 24 provinces, have caused massive casualties and damage, according to the reports. In the meantime, the Iranian authorities have condemned the attacks as "illegal and unprovoked", warning that further retaliation may follow.
Netanyahu urges Iranian citizens to flood the streets
Speaking to reporters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iranian citizens to “flood the streets and finish the job”.
Moreover, the Israeli officials told Walla on Saturday that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been cut off from communication and there is no clarity about his condition. Iranian officials also added that said they would soon release a recording from Khamenei after Israeli strikes targeted his compound in Tehran.
An initial assessment by Israeli officials stated that Khamenei may have been injured in the strike, The Jerusalem Post reported. However, there has been no official confirmation from Israeli, American or Iranian authorities about Khamenei.
US and Israel launch a major attack on Iran
The US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump urged the Iranian public to "seize control of your destiny" by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and US military bases in the region, and exchanges of fire continued into the evening.
Some of the first strikes on Iran appeared to hit near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Smoke rose from the capital as part of strikes that Iranian media said occurred nationwide. It wasn't immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices when the attack occurred.
Iranian Foreign Minister says on Khamenei
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive "as far as I know," and called the attack "unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that goal, called for "the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands."
The strikes during the holy fasting month of Ramadan opened a stunning new chapter in US intervention in Iran, and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the Islamic Republic during talks over its nuclear program. Weeks earlier, a US military operation captured Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro.
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