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Gaza Genocide28 February, 20263 min read

U.S. and Israel Assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Donald Trump Says

U.S. and Israeli strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; reports remain disputed. CENTCOM said three U.S. service members were killed and five seriously wounded.

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U.S. and Israel Assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Donald Trump Says
Image: شفق نيوز
Compared

114 outlets told this the same way.

Reports of Khamenei's death

On Feb. 28–Mar. 1, 2026, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes struck multiple sites in Iran.

“Iranian state and semi‑official media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, died early Sunday; agencies said several family members were also killed.”
Associated Press News

President Donald Trump publicly announced the strikes and their effect.

Image from ABC7 Chicago
Image: ABC7 Chicago

Al Jazeera reported "reports that Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, had been killed in a reported US-Israeli strike."

CBS News noted "Iranian state and other reports said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes."

The Associated Press wrote "Iranian state and semi-official media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, died early Sunday; agencies said several family members were also killed."

PBS summarized that "President Donald Trump announced Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major U.S.- and Israeli-launched aerial attack on Iran."

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraCBS NewsAssociated Press NewsPBS

U.S. and Israel airstrikes

U.S. and Israeli officials described the operation as a coordinated air campaign aimed at degrading Iran's missile, drone and command capabilities. Some reporting said it was also aimed at striking gatherings of senior Iranian figures. CBS News reported: 'The U.S. and Israel launched major airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday; officials say the strikes targeted ballistic/cruise missiles and drone-launch facilities.'

Moneycontrol summarized that 'the United States and Israel carried out coordinated strikes on Iranian military sites.' Dunya News reported that the Pentagon named the strikes 'Operation Epic Fury'. France 24 described Israel's military moves, stating Israel launched Operation 'Roaring Lion,' mobilised nearly 100,000 reservists and said it struck targets in Tehran.

Image from Agencia EFE
Image: Agencia EFE
Reporting for this sectionCBS NewsMoneycontrolDunya NewsFrance 24

Iran strikes and casualties

Iran responded with wide retaliatory strikes and vowed revenge while reporting heavy civilian casualties inside Iran and damage across the region. Al Jazeera said Iran said it had launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and on U.S. forces, and CBS News reported that Iran responded with large missile-and-drone barrages across the Gulf, with UAE officials saying hundreds of projectiles were fired. Iranian and regional outlets reported mass civilian deaths, including claims that 'a strike on a girls' school in Minab killed at least 108 students' (Moneycontrol).

“Iran says it has launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and on U.S. forces.”
Al Jazeera

Moneycontrol reported that Iran's Red Crescent put totals across provinces at 'about 201 dead and 747 wounded'. AL-Monitor and Dunya News stated that US Central Command said three US soldiers were killed and five seriously wounded. DW cited U.S. military statements saying the strikes caused only 'minimal damage' and no American casualties, reflecting directly contradictory accounts in the record.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraCBS NewsMoneycontrolAL-Monitordw

International reactions and disruptions

The strikes and counterstrikes prompted urgent international reactions, airspace and shipping disruptions, and warnings about wider escalation. Al Jazeera detailed broad diplomatic responses, saying "International reactions ranged from condemnation to support and calls for restraint." DW reported that "China 'strongly condemned' what it called the killing of Iran's supreme leader."

France 24 noted Iran "declared 40 days of mourning". France 24 also reported that Israel mobilised reservists. Fortune reported that "Shipping giant Maersk suspended transits through the Bab el‑Mandeb and the Suez Canal and is rerouting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope," highlighting immediate global consequences.

Image from Al Jazeera
Image: Al Jazeera
Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeradwFrance 24Fortune

Gaza strikes and Iranian response

The strikes unfolded against a background in which multiple international sources documented severe Israeli operations in Gaza, including a U.N. finding that the conduct met the legal definition of genocide. Many analysts and some sources warned that calls for regime change and decapitation strikes risk deepening regional catastrophe. Britannica reported, "A U.N. report concluded that Israel’s conduct in Gaza met the legal definition of genocide by international convention".

“A U.N. report concluded that Israel’s conduct in Gaza met the legal definition of genocide by international convention (acts such as killing members of the group, causing serious harm, inflicting destructive conditions, and preventing births).”
Britannica

Time Magazine and the Atlantic Council quoted warnings that talk of regime change and decapitation would strengthen hard‑liners and risk broader escalation. CNN and NPR emphasised that the operation’s apparent aim at senior leadership created acute uncertainty about succession and wider reprisals. That context shaped domestic Iranian responses, where state media and officials moved quickly to form interim leadership arrangements amid "immediate uncertainty" about succession (Associated Press).

Image from Al Jazeera
Image: Al Jazeera
Reporting for this sectionBritannicaTime MagazineAtlantic CouncilCNN InternationalAssociated Press News