The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said there are “growing signs” that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been assassinated.
Mr Netanyahu said the Iranian leader was killed by the US and Israel missile strike on his compound in Tehran, Reuters reports.
“This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement.
“This morning, in a powerful surprise strike, the compound of the tyrant Ali Khamenei was destroyed in the heart of Tehran… and there are many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive,” Mr Netanyahu said.
But there is currently no evidence confirming that Mr Khamenei is dead, nor did Mr Nethanyu provide any to back his assertions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi also rejected the claim that the supreme leader is dead.
Speaking to the NBC, Mr Aragchi said Mr Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are still alive “as far as I know.”
He stated that the situation was “under control” and that almost all high-ranking officials were safe, apart from a few commanders.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also said Iran’s president and supreme leader are “safe and sound,” according to CNN.
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that satellite images earlier showed significant damage to Khamenei’s compound, which is the Iranian leadership office.
Similarly, Reuters also cited a senior Israeli official who claims Mr Khamenei’s body has been found.
But the head of public relations at the office of Mr Khamenei, Seyyed Mahdi, further debunking the reports of his death, said, “The enemy has resorted to psychological warfare. We should all be careful about it”, the semi-official ISNA news agency reports.