Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address that there are indications Iran’s Supreme Leader is “no longer alive”. His remarks contradict earlier statements from Iran’s foreign ministry, which said both the Supreme Leader and the country’s president are “safe and unharmed”.
Netanyahu’s televised statement
In his address, Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces had destroyed the residential compound of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. He said that all available evidence suggests that “this tyrant is no longer with us”.
'This campaign will continue as long as it is needed'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 28, 2026
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks after the US-Israel strikes on Iran.
The Israeli PM adds: 'This war will bring about true peace'
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Netanyahu added that senior figures linked to Iran’s nuclear programme and high-ranking state officials had been targeted in the strikes. He warned that Israel would continue to hit “thousands of targets” associated with what he described as Iran’s “terrorist regime”.
Contradictory statements from Tehran
The Israeli claims stand in contrast to previous reports by Iran’s foreign ministry, which stated that both the Supreme Leader and the president of Iran remain unharmed.
Call to Iranian citizens
Addressing what he described as “brave” Iranian citizens, Netanyahu said the strikes would help them “free themselves from tyranny”. He urged them to “take to the streets in large numbers” and “finish the job”, describing the moment as a historic opportunity to overthrow the Iranian regime.
With information from The Guardian.
