Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says there are “growing signs” that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is “gone” after US and Israeli strikes.
Satellite images earlier showed damage to Khamenei’s compound in Tehran – unconfirmed reports in Israel and the US say he was killed.
When asked about those reports, Donald Trump reportedly tells NBC News: “I have spoken to a lot of people, we feel that is a correct story. I don’t want to say anything definitively until I see things but we believe he is.
“And much of their leaders are gone. Not only from one site but two other sites that we attacked also. We had great intelligence and so we think much of leadership is gone.”
The US and Israel launched attacks across the country – Israel says “several senior figures” from the Iran regime have been “eliminated”
In response, Iran has launched attacks throughout the Middle East. Apparent Iranian strikes have been reported in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, and Kuwait – places with US military bases, or that are allied to the US.
Donald Trump said earlier that “major combat operations” were under way, and urged Iranians to “take over” the government.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has “eliminated” the Iranian regime’s defence leadership in what it calls its “opening salvo” of attacks.
According to a social media post, this includes Ali Shamkhani, advisor for security affairs, Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, minister of defence.
In its post, the IDF shares images and profiles of these three officials, and others it claims to have eliminated.
New explosions were reported across Iran on Saturday evening, and Israel says its air force “continues to operate” in the country. More than 200 people have been killed across Iran, the Red Crescent says.
-BBC
