Trump says Khamenei is dead

• Trump and Netanyahu have declared that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead following a massive joint US-‘Israeli’ air campaign (Operation Epic Fury) that targeted his compound; however, Iranian officials have disputed these claims, asserting the leadership remains "safe and sound."
• The strikes, which hit government, nuclear, and military sites across 24 provinces, have killed at least 201 people in Iran—including over 80 children at a school in Minab—and triggered a retaliatory Iranian missile barrage that struck targets across ‘Israel’ and the Gulf states, resulting in civilian deaths and damage in the UAE and Kuwait.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead, after ‘Israel’ and the United States launched an attack of unprecedented scale aimed at bringing down the Islamic republic.

"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” he continued.

“He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do. This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country. We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us. As I said last night, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!” Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves. That process should soon be starting in that, not only the death of Khamenei but the Country has been, in only one day, very much destroyed and, even, obliterated. The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”

‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said there were "many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive".

Addressing the people of Iran, the arch-enemy of ‘Israel’ and the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Netanyahu said, "This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future."

The strikes prompted Tehran to fire off a missile barrage across the Middle East, with injuries and at least one death reported in explosions that rocked showcase cities in Gulf Arab monarchies.

Iranian authorities urged residents to evacuate the capital, a city of 10 million, while the country's Red Crescent society said that at least 201 people had been killed in the strikes and more than 700 wounded.

The Iranian judiciary said one strike that hit a school in the south killed 108 people, although AFP was unable to access the site to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The UAE reported one civilian dead and damage from missiles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as blasts from Tehran's retaliatory salvo and air defences intercepting it also echoed over ‘Israel’, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier told NBC News that Khamenei was alive "as far as I know", adding that "all high-ranking officials are alive".

Also asked about Khamenei's health, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told the BBC earlier he was "not in a situation to confirm anything", but "the whole system, the whole nation is focused on defending (our) national integrity".

In a sign that the fighting was far from over, Netanyahu said "thousands" of targets would be hit over the coming days, while Iran's top security official vowed a fierce reprisal.

The ‘Israeli’ army said that Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Khamenei, and the head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were both killed.

Ali Larijani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said: "The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors."