this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2026

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BREAKING NEWS - Israeli media reports Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leader of Iran, was killed inside his bunker (www.maariv.co.il)

submitted 2 hours ago* (last edited 47 minutes ago) by Luriana@sh.itjust.works to c/world@lemmy.world

41 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This is a developing story. More to follow very soon.

EDIT 1

Supreme Ayatollah Khamenei was killed a few moments ago, a senior Israeli official told journalists off the record.

Footage of Khamenei’s body was allegedly presented to Prime Minister Netanyahu a few minutes ago. No official statement has been published.

EDIT 2

Videos in Farsi published on social media show some people cheering in Tehran from their apartments.

https://x.com/ManotoNews/status/2027835583146463736

These videos are not authentified. They could very well be true or AI.

EDIT 3

Headline of Maariv newspaper is now "Khamenei is killed"

"After decades of absolute rule, Israel confirms that the end of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has come"

EDIT 4

Reuters says Khamenei has been killed according to an Israeli official.

Iran DENIES the information and says Ayatollah Khamenei is fully in command.

https://www.reuters.com/world/iran-crisis-live-explosions-tehran-israel-announces-strike-2026-02-28/

EDIT 6

Some Iranian opposition accounts are celebrating.

Association of French-Iranian women says "YES, Finally"

https://x.com/femmeazadi/status/2027836456119443519

Iranian Sana Ebrahimi published video of herself dancing

https://x.com/__Injaneb96/status/2027841112610676910

EDIT 7

Politician Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Canadian Opposition, claims Ayatollah Khamenei is killed

https://x.com/PierrePoilievre/status/2027845628391526774

EDIT 8

I̶D̶F̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶f̶i̶r̶m̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶K̶h̶a̶m̶e̶n̶e̶i̶

The IDF said several Iranian leaders are killed, including the Defense Minister and Ali Shamkhani, the closest advisor of the Ayatollah

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-confirms-killing-top-iranian-leaders-including-top-defense-official-ali-shamkhani/

EDIT 9

Iranian Researcher Khosrol Isfahani published videos of people honking in the streets on social media

https://x.com/KhosroIsfahani/status/2027839875500912833

EDIT 10

Donald Trump told NBC News that he feels reports about the death of Khamenei are correct.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-responds-reports-ayatollah-death-rcna261149

EDIT 11

Iran International, the largest Iranian political opposition network, says Ayatollah Khamenei have been killed according to their own sources.

https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2027846843061633455

https://www.iranintl.com/fa/liveblog/20260228-Iranwar

EDIT 12

A french far-left politician who was questioned by police about her support for Hamas-Hezbollah just published a burning american flag. She really mad.

EDIT 13

Farnaz Fassihi, an iranian-american journalist, says she spoke on the phone with her sources in Tehran

Many people are celebrating but she says the information is NOT confirmed.

🚨 New York Times claims Trump confirms

EDIT 14

Official statement from the White House.

IT'S OVER FOLKS !!!

all 42 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Luriana@sh.itjust.works 12 points 44 minutes ago* (last edited 38 minutes ago) (1 children)

Personal opinion

He was instrumental in helping Bachar El Assad massacre Syrians after the 2011 Arab Spring. The Iranian military saved Bachar by slaughtering countless

He was the daddy of Hezbollah. Hezbollah assasinated countless Lebanese politicians who spoke out against the group. Khamenei urged Hezbollah to trigger two major wars against Israel (2006, 2023). The overwhelming majority of Lebanese DID NOT want these wars. The response was absolutely devastating for ordinary lebanese. Khamenei was laughing from Tehran while Lebanese paid the price.

He was an enemy of the Ukrainian people. At the beginning of the Ukraine invasion, he gave thousands of drones to Vladimir Poutine. Drones are used to bomb Ukrainian cities

And perhaps the most sadly, he was an enemy of the Iranian people. His men slaughtered countless Iranian protesters. As for the survivors, they were tortured and raped.

https://theconversation.com/how-irans-government-has-weaponized-sexual-violence-against-women-who-dare-to-resist-253791

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/7480/2023/en/

That dude was just evil. If anyone had it coming, it was him.

Let's hope that this bloody war ends now.

[–] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 4 points 18 minutes ago

"Lets hope this bloody war ends now."

Hahahahahahah. No chance.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 19 points 1 hour ago

I'm glad he's dead, I'm sad how it happened. Foreign bombs against a religious and political leader don't make for a stable transition of power, they result in decades of war between rebels in the mountains and whoever controls the cities.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 65 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

No love for this dude, but this won't end here.

[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 5 points 27 minutes ago

Not like we've been here before. Surly there won't be blowback from this.

[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 1 points 14 minutes ago

War will likely continue for now, and he has nominated his successor.

However, eventually a power struggle may start (it's not guaranteed) and then, Iranian people may get their foot between the door and force it open.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 2 points 13 minutes ago

I'm sure there will be a quick and peaceful transfer of power to a completely democratic leadership and no civilian casualties whatsoever.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 26 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

Given the viciousness and the firepower both US and Israel can bring to bare, it's very possible they killed him.

Also possible they're just announcing this to further domestic unrest. If Khamenei doesn't stick his head out to announce he's alive, it will be that much easier to flip generals or city leaders who think they'll need to surrender in order to survive.

Videos in Farsi published on social media show some people cheering in Tehran

"We'll be greeted as liberators"

No shortage of people in Iran who hate the Ayatollah. But it's unlikely you'll find folks under active bombardment feeling in the mood to cheer at any news.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

Flip to what, though?

Iran was built to be redundant, and the protest movement is just a protest movement, to date. This isn't going to be a clean transition to a different united regime.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 0 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Flip to what, though?

Reza Pahlavi appears to be the current useful idiot of the West

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

He's about as prepared to run Iran as I am. Well, I guess he speaks the language at least. It's not like you get one guy people don't hate/sorta like and just plug them in, though.

Who does have organisation and some support is the IRGC and the normal military. And probably all kinds of paramilitary movements on the peripheries. If Trump was going to send in troops and occupy it on the ground, they could try to slap together a shitty government of misfits like in Iraq, but he's not.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 1 points 11 minutes ago

I guess he doesn't have to have many qualifications here. He just has to be prepared to sell all their oil to their glorious liberators at discount rates.

Then if China want any oil, they'll have to come begging to Trump for it.

[–] piskertariot@lemmy.world 13 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Including a statement from Pierre Poilievre means that the news doesn't matter.

If you're going to include the opinions of people who can't even win their own seat from countries who are across an ocean from Iran, there are plenty of others who are relevant.

[–] rozodru@piefed.world 6 points 45 minutes ago

the fuck is PP giving statements for? fucker still doesn't have security clearance. He's got about as much knowledge on what's really going on as I do.

[–] clot27@lemmy.zip 40 points 2 hours ago (3 children)

If this is true it would make IRGC even more united and furious I hope they kill netanyahu in retaliation

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 35 points 2 hours ago

And Fascist 47 while we're at it.

[–] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (3 children)

Everything is still kind of unverified, but it sounds like they may have got a significant portion of the IRGC leadership too.

The popular voice right now seems to be the crown prince of the former Iranian monarchy.

[–] EvergreenGuru@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

The issue is this is all western propaganda. We can only judge by Iran’s response, and since they’re making a cohesive military counterattack by bombing US Bases, we can see the country hasn’t lost its leadership.

Trump attacking Iran is not going to go well. I believe Iran will win and the US will have wasted resources. Most importantly, the Iranians have closed the Strait of Hormuz.

[–] clot27@lemmy.zip 18 points 2 hours ago

that asshole can go fuck himself

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Basically because there's no obvious uniting figure, so they go with somebody irrelevant and inoffensive.

The US has opened a huge can of worms they have no interest in actually managing. This is going to be Syria but bigger and in an economically significant area.

[–] JeffKerman1999@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 hour ago

How? They don't have a powerful secret service

[–] krashmo@lemmy.world 2 points 41 minutes ago

"The bombings will continue until peace is achieved" is one of the craziest things I've ever heard Trump say, and that is saying a lot

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 1 points 27 minutes ago

The thing about precedent is that it sets a precedent.

[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 6 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

So will the US and Israel wait and see what ends up filling the power vacuum they just created or will they just go right to installing a new, pro US/Israel regime themselves?

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 minutes ago

They're going to restore the Pahlavis.

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 hour ago

Won't believe until corroborated by both sides.

[–] twinnie@feddit.uk 1 points 32 minutes ago

I was hoping to see the Iranians throw him off a balcony but this is good enough.

[–] Hubi@feddit.org 5 points 1 hour ago

Too bad, I'm sure Assad was looking forward to meeting his new roommate.

[–] lemmylommy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago

Good riddance.

[–] RalfWausE@feddit.org 6 points 1 hour ago

Now this will get out of control

[–] lnxtx@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 41 minutes ago) (1 children)

As of 2026-02-28 20:39 UTC, via AP News:

JUST IN: Israeli officials tell AP that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead. Neither Iran nor the US have confirmed

EDIT:
As of 2026-02-28 22:02 UTC, via AP News:

Trump says that Iran’s supreme leader is dead

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

It's not an extraordinary claim, though. It was a decapitation strike, and the sudden timing suggests they thought they had a particularly golden opportunity.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Like what, was he watching the Spring Sing at his granddaughters' primary school?

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 hour ago

Hmm, they did hit a girl's school, didn't they? This says he was in a bunker, though.

[–] robocall@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

That was the guy that was super against developing nukes.

Good thing Israel killed him. /s

[–] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 hours ago (5 children)

I know there were plans in the work, but I'm not sure Iran ever finalized plans for a successor.

This might be a contender for shortest war ever, it may be difficult to figure out who they're even fighting now.

[–] choui4@lemmy.zip 21 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You dont think the Iranian government had succession plans for their 87 year old leader?

[–] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 hour ago

You'd think so, but nothing concrete anyone outside the government seems to know about. Secret succession plans are obviously kinda problematic. The ones that are written down seem like they might require people who might also be dead now.

[–] Hubi@feddit.org 2 points 1 hour ago

Khamenei has named three people last year as possible successors. There's supposedly some sort of council that would make the final decision.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 hour ago

Per the CIA (I think? Someone in the West), some hardliner will step up, Iran is not defeated.

[–] RainbowHedgehog@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

I love your username.