Iranian media confirmed the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following a barrage of missile attacks carried out by Israel and the United States on Saturday.

Khamenei’s daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law were all killed in the military operation.

The debate about whether Khamenei was among those killed in the joint operation raged throughout the world late Saturday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu choosing his words carefully when he claimed, “There are many signs the supreme leader is no longer with us.”

“The Supreme Leader of Iran Has Reached Martyrdom,” state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday morning.

“This great scholar and mujahid (fighter) sacrificed his life to lift Iran… and he is in the grand presence of martyrs above,” Mehr, the state affiliated news outlet, said.

Iran has announced 40 days of mourning for Khamenei.

US President Donald Trump had previously announced Khamenei’s death in a Truth Social post.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote.

“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.

“He was unable to avoid our intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”

In an earlier broadcast on the operation, Trump had said he is pursuing regime change in Iran, asking the “Iranian people to take back their country”.

The supreme leader was reportedly having a meeting with some of his closest advisers when the building was struck.

Iran retaliated with drone strikes across different Gulf countries, including Dubai’s airports and shopping centers.

The UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait restricted their airspace on Saturday as Iran targeted US civilians and military in the Middle East.