UPDATE 2 - Iranian state TV says Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei killed in US-Israeli attacks

​​​​​​​UPDATES HEADLINE, LEDE; ADDS DETAILS WITH BACKGROUND

By Tarek Chouiref and Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Iranian state television announced Sunday that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli attacks targeting Iran on Saturday.

Iranian television said that “the Leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, was martyred” in the US-Israeli aggression that started early Saturday.

The Fars News Agency reported that Khamenei “was martyred in his office while carrying out his duties during the early hours of Saturday,” and his daughter, son-in-law and grandson were also killed in the attacks.

The Iranian government declared 40 days of national mourning and ordered the suspension of official institutions for seven days.

“This great crime will not pass without response, and a new chapter will be written in the history of the Islamic world,” according to a statement.

The Supreme National Security Council said Khamenei’s death would mark the beginning of a “great uprising against the tyrants of the world.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed a “overwhelming and decisive revenge” against those responsible for Khamenei’s killing, and announced that it will launch retaliatory attacks against Israel and US bases in the region “in the near future,” according to IRNA.

The statement called the attacks a “criminal and terrorist act” and said the “hand of revenge of the Iranian people to punish the killers with severe, decisive, and regret-inducing punishment will not leave them.”

The IRGC urged all segments of society to participate in national defense gatherings to demonstrate unity, saying that Khamenei’s path “will not stop after his martyrdom, but will continue with strength and grandeur.”

US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that “Khamenei, one of the most evil figures in history, is dead.”

Trump added that “heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”

-Killing of Khamenei will not go unpunished

The Iranian government announced that Khamenei’s death “will not go unpunished.”

It emphasized that the perpetrators and those who ordered the attack “will be made to regret it.”

-Tensions escalate

The crisis began early Saturday when Israel and the US carried out strikes on multiple Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Qom, Tabriz, Bushehr, Kermanshah and Ilam.

Israel described the operation as a "pre-emptive attack," with Trump announcing "major combat operations" targeting Iran.

Israel and Iran closed their airspace. Israel declared a state of emergency, and civilians were urged to seek shelter in anticipation of Iranian counterattacks.

Iran reported firing dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel and launched strikes on US targets in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan using missiles and kamikaze drones. The Iranian Red Crescent reported 201 deaths and 747 injuries from the attacks.