The residence of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was completely destroyed as a result of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran – Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported. According to the reports, the targets of the attacks were the highest-ranking representatives of Iran’s authorities, but it remains unclear whether Khamenei was present at the complex at the time of the strike.
Khamenei’s Residence “Completely Destroyed”
The The New York Times published a satellite image showing extensive damage, collapsed buildings, and black smoke rising from the complex typically used as Khamenei’s residence and as a venue for receiving high-ranking officials. According to Channel 12, the strikes were aimed at all top representatives of Iran’s leadership.
Several explosions were reported in Tehran on Saturday morning. The Reuters news agency reported that one of the strikes likely occurred near Khamenei’s office. However, according to the agency’s sources, he had been moved to a secure location and was not in the capital at the time of the attack.
Missiles also struck the vicinity of the presidential palace, but President Masoud Pezeshkian is in a safe place, Iranian news agencies Mehr News Agency and Tasnim News Agency reported.
The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike was preemptive in nature. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the American military had begun “a major combat operation”, declared that Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons, and called on the Iranian nation to take power in the country.