War with Iran escalates after U.S.–Israeli strikes and reported killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

A fast-moving conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States intensified after multiple major outlets reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Iran and Israel traded additional attacks, including missile strikes that caused significant Israeli casualties near Jerusalem. Iran’s leadership moved to name interim leaders as bombardment continued, while the UN Security Council convened in emergency session amid warnings from the UN Secretary-General that the violence poses a grave threat to international peace and security. The escalation also disrupted regional aviation, with widespread flight cancellations and carrier suspensions, and raised fresh uncertainty over the duration of the campaign and Iran’s succession process.

Multiple major news organizations, including the BBC, The New York Times, Time, France 24 and CBS News, reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes. CBS News additionally reported that President Trump posted on social media that Khamenei had been killed following what it described as a massive U.S. and Israeli military operation. The reported death of Iran’s top leader immediately added a succession crisis to a widening military confrontation.

Military operations continued into a second day with signs of intensification. The Guardian reported fresh waves of intensive attacks across Iran as the campaign progressed, and its live coverage described a wave of strikes “in the heart of Tehran.” The BBC reported that Iran and Israel launched fresh attacks after Khamenei’s killing, indicating that the exchange moved quickly from an initial strike phase into sustained retaliatory operations.

War with Iran escalates after U.S.–Israeli strikes and reported killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

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