- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in US-Israeli attacks
- Iran's state media and IRGC confirmed Khamenei's martyrdom following US-Israeli claims
- IRGC vowed to launch the heaviest offensive against Israel in retaliation for the killing
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been "martyred" in the joint US-Israeli offensive, according to statements issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the state-run media. The confirmation came hours after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to have "eliminated" the Iranian regime's head.
"Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei martyred in US-Israeli attacks on Iran," the state-run Press TV posted on social media.
The Islamic Republic Of Iranian Broadcasting, the country's official media arm, said the IRGC plans to "launch the heaviest offensive in history" against Israel to avenge the supreme leader's killing.
The IRGC, in a statement, said Khamenei's martyrdom at the "hands of the most wicked terrorists and executioners of humanity" is itself a sign of the righteousness of this great leader and the acceptance of his sincere services. "Martyrdom in the path of Islam and great Iran is a sign of victory and nearness to the ultimate goal."
"With the martyrdom and return to God of Imam Khamenei (may God be pleased with him), his path and legacy will not cease; rather, they will continue with greater strength and magnificence. This martyrdom will make our nation even more resolute in continuing the luminous path of our beloved Imam Khamenei," it added.
"The criminal and terrorist act of the malicious governments of the United States and the Zionist regime constitutes a clear violation of religious, moral, legal, and international norms. Therefore, the hand of vengeance of the Iranian nation, in imposing severe, decisive, and regret-inducing punishment upon the killers of the Imam of the Ummah, will not release them from its grasp," the statement added.
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Notably, the first wave of US-Israeli strikes on Saturday targeted Tehran's Pasteur neighbourhood, where the compound of Iran's supreme leader is located, along with certain military headquarters.
Iran's Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Pakpour were among those senior officials who were killed in the strikes, news agency Reuters reported on Saturday, citing sources.
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