By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and KELLY LACO, US EXECUTIVE EDITOR, POLITICS and OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, multiple Israeli officials have claimed.
His body was found under rubble in his compound in Iran after US and Israeli airstrikes, according to news agency reports, citing defence officials.
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been shown a photograph of his body, the same officials claimed.
‘A photo of the body was shown to Netanyahu and Trump,’ reported Israel’s Channel 12.
‘Senior Israeli officials were informed of Khamenei’s elimination. His body was recovered from the rubble of his compound,’ reported public broadcaster Kan. There has been no confirmation of Khamenei’s death from Tehran.
In a televised address on Saturday evening, the Israeli Prime Minister said that airstrikes in Iran had destroyed the Supreme Leader’s compound, and added that ‘all indications show this tyrant is no longer with us.’ However, Iranian state media has denied the claims so far.
Meanwhile, four people have been injured in a retaliatory Iranian missile strike on the world-famous five-star Fairmont hotel in Dubai.
Dramatic footage and images captured the moment the Palm Jumeirah Fairmont Hotel in Dubai was hit, and the front of the building’s exterior was set ablaze by an ultra-fast Shahed drone.
The attack came as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following the joint US-Israel attack on Tehran earlier today.
Follow all the latest on the Daily Mail’s live blog.
Trump and Netanyahu ‘shown a picture of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body’
Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, multiple Israeli officials have claimed.
His body was found under rubble in his compound in Iran after US and Israeli airstrikes.
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been shown a photograph of his body.
‘A photo of the body was shown to Netanyahu and Trump,’ reported Channel 12.
‘Senior Israeli officials were informed of Khamenei’s elimination. His body was recovered from the rubble of his compound,’ reported public broadcaster Kan. There has been no confirmation of Khamenei’s death from Tehran.
How Iran’s dramatic drone blitz on westerners unfolded
Israel’s UN ambassador calls condemnation of airstrikes ‘hypocrisy’
Danny Danon told reporters ahead of an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Iran is responsible for escalating actions by its proxies and its nuclear and missile programs.
Now, he says, ‘Israel and the U.S. act to prevent an irreversible and immediate threat.’
He did not respond to a question asking whether he could confirm the death of Iran’s supreme leader.
But he said: ‘We will continue to target the leadership of the radical regime and we will do whatever necessary to enable the right conditions for the people of Iran and stability for the region.’
How long will it take? ‘As long as it will take to achieve the goals,’ Danon replied.
Everyone is watching the situation on the ground, he said, and ‘the time for the Iranian people to take control of the future is very soon.’
Starmer speaks to Trump to discuss Middle East crisis
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to US President Donald Trump to discuss the situation in the Middle East, Downing Street has said.
Pictures show missiles being intercepted over Dubai
Sparks and smoke from an apparent missile interception were seen in the sky over Dubai, United Arab Emirates, tonight. Iran reportedly launched retaliatory aerial attacks in the region following an earlier joint Israel-US military operation targeting multiple locations across Iran in the early hours of 28 February 2026
UN Secuirty Council holds emergency meeting
The UN Security Council is in an emergency meeting following major airstrikes across Iran.
In retaliation, Tehran has launched its own attacks in the Middle East.
UN chief Antonio Guterres told ambassadors the action risks ‘igniting a chain of events that nobody can control in the most volatile region of the world.’
He added that ‘everything must be done to prevent further escalation.’
Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Danny Danon speaks during a press conference ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East in New York on February 28, 2026.
Foreign Office advises Brits in the Middle East to register their presence with UK Government
British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates should register their presence with the UK Government to receive updates on the situation in the Middle East, the Foreign Office has said.
One person critically injured in Israel amid airstrikes
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service says rocket shrapnel from the latest Iranian missile attack has seriously injured a man in the Tel Aviv area.
It marks the first serious injury to be reported in Israel since the exchange of missiles began. Magen David Adom says it has also treated 90 casualties, all mildly injured.
No one has been killed in Israel.
Trump says he feels reports of Khamenei’s death are ‘correct
Donald Trump has been asked directly about reports that Iran’s supreme leader has been killed in the US-Israeli strikes.
Asked by NBC News if he has had the reports confirmed or thought Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead, Trump said: ‘I don’t want to comment on that, but the rumour is, and the word is, that he has been killed.’
When asked on how and when he will get confirmation about the reported death, Trump replied: ‘I’ve spoken to a lot of people, beyond, and we feel certain, we feel – we feel that that is a correct story.’
Iran denies death of Ayatollah
With rumours swirling over the fate of Ali Khamenei, following Israeli claims that Iran’s Supreme Leader was dead and his body found, Iranian media outlets have reported the opposite.
Iranian media outlets have instead said Khamenei is ‘commanding the field’.
Son of British woman detained in Iran ‘incredibly worried’ about her safety amid air strikes
The son of a British woman detained with her husband in Iran has said he is ‘extremely worried’ for their safety.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran on an around-the-world motorcycle trip and have been detained in Tehran’s Evin prison on espionage charges they strongly deny ever since.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Joe Bennett, Ms Foreman’s son, said: ‘We were extremely relieved to hear from our parents this morning but remain incredibly worried about their safety. Our hearts go out to the people of Iran and all others in the region who were impacted by the bombings today.’
Aerial footage shows US munitions striking Iran targets
Aerial footage posted to social media by U.S. Central Command showed American munitions striking what appeared to be a variety of targets, from drones to buildings, in Iran.
The video montage shows black-and-white footage of what appears to be a drone on a runway, a radar tower, a missile battery, and a compound of buildings all being struck by what seemed to be bombs or missiles and followed by large explosions.
The footage features the words “unclassified” at the top of the screen and a targeting reticle in the middle.
CENTCOM didn’t provide more details about the video, but said that it was “delivering an overwhelming and unrelenting blow” in a caption that accompanied the post.
