The IDF officially announced that yesterday (Saturday), February 28, 2026, the IDF eliminated the Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime, Ali Khamenei.
"Ali Khamenei was targeted in a precise, large-scale operation carried out by the Israeli Air Force, guided by accurate IDF intelligence, while he was in his central leadership compound in the heart of Tehran, where he was together with additional senior officials," the military stated.
"Ali Khamenei served as the Supreme Leader of the Iranian terror regime since 1989 and propagated an extremist ideology against the State of Israel and the entire Western world. He was directly responsible for the violent repression of Iranian citizens for many years. Khamenei was the architect of the plan to destroy the State of Israel and was known as the 'head of the Iranian octopus', extending its arms for throughout the Middle East and to the borders of the State of Israel. Foremost among them was the Hezbollah terrorist organization. The Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime was responsible for the terrorist attacks against the State of Israel, and the blood of many civilians from around the world was on his hands.
"The IDF has brought to an end a decades-long chapter with the elimination of the leader of the Iranian terror axis. His elimination joins a series of eliminations of senior members of the terror axis carried out by the IDF during the war.
"Ali Khamenei's elimination reflects the promise between the IDF and the citizens of the State of Israel - to strike and thwart any actor that seeks to harm the State of Israel, anywhere and at any time," the IDF Spokesperson concluded.