Operation Epic Fury struck at multiple meetings of high-level Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The death of the Islamic Republic leader marks a major achievement for Presidentand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who both called for regime change and urged Iranians to rise up against the clerical government in the wake of the strikes.
Israeli officials initially said they saw"signs" that Khamenei was dead, but later said they had confirmed his death, saying his body had been found, Reuters reported.flattened, but there was uncertainty over the leader's whereabouts for several hours. Iranian officials declined to say with certainty that Khamanei was alive, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying soon after the strikes the leader was still alive “as far as I know". Earlier, there were reports that Khamanei had been relocated to a secure facility according to Iranian officials. Hours after the strikes, Iranian media also broadcast that Khamanei would be delivering an address to the nation. But that did not happen. Khamanei, 86, had ruled the Islamic Republic for 36 years after becoming its second leader in 1989, a decade after rising to prominence in the theocratic revolution which toppled Iran's monarchy. The killing of Iran's most senior leader now leaves a critical gap in leadership in Iran, which Trump says provides an opportunity to Iranians to rise up and overthrow their government. The U.S.-Israeli military operation code-named"Epic Fury" targeted several high-level Iranian officials including Khamenei and the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose whereabouts are also unknown.told Iranian protesters the U.S. action would provide"probably your only chance for generations" to force regime change. "Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," Trump said in a video message posted shortly after the strikes started. The CIA has assessed that Khamanei will most likely be replaced by hardline figures from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, officials told Reuters. Trump said the U.S. strikes were aimed at ending a security threat to Americans and ensuring Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon and insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
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