Israeli Strike Kills Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran Fires at Gulf Nations and US Bases

The Jerusalem Post’s live updates described US and Iran renewing strikes in overnight clashes while the future of ceasefire talks “hangs in the balance,” and it placed the conflict in the context of Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury launched on February 28 with the stated aim of creating conditions for regime change.

“future of ceasefire talks hangs in the balance”

The Jerusalem Post

The same live updates said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by an Israeli strike on a Tehran bunker, and it added that Iran retaliated by firing across the Middle East at Gulf nations and US military bases in the region.

Image: JNS.org

Those updates also quantified the broader impact of ballistic missile attacks across Israel since February 28, saying “Thirty-nine IDF soldiers and 23 civilians have been killed, and at least 7,693 more injured,” and it noted that a ceasefire deal was announced on April 7 and went into effect on April 8.

In a separate report, JNS.org quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that defeating the Iranian regime could bring about the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah, and it framed that claim as part of Israel’s “War of Redemption” that began with the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7, 2023.

JNS.org reported Netanyahu telling Channel 14’s “The Patriots” that “It is clear that if this regime is defeated, the path to the final elimination of Hamas and the elimination of Hezbollah is not far off, and we will complete it,” while he also said “There are missions to complete, and there are also new threats.”

In the same JNS.org account, Netanyahu warned that Israel’s existence is at stake in the Oct. 27 election and said that if his challengers form a government, they would withdraw the Israel Defense Forces from security zones established during the war and agree to a Palestinian state.

Image: Naharnet

JNS.org also quoted Netanyahu addressing an incident in central Samaria where IDF and Border Police forces rushed to the Palestinian villages of Qusra and Jalud after a report of Israelis hurling rocks at Palestinians, and it said “Dozens of rioters” barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while residents were inside.

The Jerusalem Post’s live updates added a US political framing by quoting Trump saying Iran striking Gulf neighbors was “very good thing,” and it linked that line to the ongoing overnight clashes described in the same update stream.

Amd للإعلام reported Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to completely disarming Hamas of its weapons and said the operation would also proceed with the disarmament of the Lebanese Hezbollah, while describing Israeli intelligence as closely monitoring Iran’s moves.

In that same Amd للإعلام account, Netanyahu said Iran is seeking to resume its nuclear program and produce atomic bombs, and he framed his government’s goal as striving to “complete the mission” to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Naharnet echoed Netanyahu’s position that defeating Iran could lead to the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah, and it repeated his warning that challengers forming a government would withdraw the Israeli army from “security zones” established during the war in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.

Together, the sources set the stakes as both military and political: The Jerusalem Post’s live updates tied the conflict to the ceasefire timeline of April 7 and April 8, while JNS.org and Naharnet tied Netanyahu’s stated endgame to the “final elimination of Hamas” and the “elimination of Hezbollah.”