…anonymous sources claim Supreme Leader Khamenei could have been killed.
Tehran, Iran — The iNews Times reports that Iran confirms Supreme Leader Khamenei alive following widespread speculation in Israeli media suggesting that the nation’s top leader may have been killed during military strikes early Saturday. Iranian officials moved quickly to dispel the reports, affirming that the 86-year-old Ayatollah remains alive and unharmed.
Israeli Channel 12 and other outlets had cited anonymous sources claiming that Khamenei could have been killed, while emphasising that official confirmation was pending. The reports triggered a flurry of social media speculation and heightened tensions across the region.
Responding to the rumours, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told NBC News that, to his knowledge, Ayatollah Khamenei was alive and that the reports were inaccurate. The military operations, launched early Saturday by Israel and the United States, targeted several sites linked to Iran’s leadership.
The initial strikes reportedly occurred near offices associated with Khamenei, who is believed to have been relocated to a secure location prior to the attacks. Israeli media also suggested that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was among those targeted, although these claims remain unverified.
The confirmation that Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei is alive comes amid escalating US-Israel military operations in the region and serves to counter fears that the attacks could destabilise the Iranian government or trigger wider conflict.
