Israel has confirmed that Iran’s supreme leader was killed in strikes on Saturday.

Israeli officials say a photograph believed to show Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s body has been obtained and that his body has been recovered after a joint United States and Israeli military operation that struck Tehran and other Iranian cities.

A second source said an official announcement is being prepared. 

Earlier in the evening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there are many signs that Khamenei is “no longer with us” and called on Iranians to rise up.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Iran’s president and supreme leader are “safe and sound” and urged calm, but Khamenei has not been seen in public or in official videos since the strikes began, fuelling widespread uncertainty. 

The strikes, described by Israeli officials as necessary to remove imminent security threats and curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, hit multiple government and military targets including Khamenei’s compound and senior Revolutionary Guard facilities.

Witnesses in Tehran reported plumes of smoke over downtown and residents fled the city seeking safety, with long queues at fuel stations and schools emptied as people made preparations to leave their homes. 

According to live updates, a member of Tehran’s city council said Khamenei’s son-in-law and daughter-in-law were also killed in the strikes, and several senior Iranian intelligence and paramilitary commanders have been reported killed.

Iranian security forces instructed residents of Tehran and other major cities to shelter in safe locations as airspace remains closed. 

The operation follows days of failed diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme, with Washington deploying significant military assets to the region.

The offensive has prompted sirens across Israel and warnings to civilians to be prepared for missile attacks, and has affected international travel with flights diverted to shelters at Tel Aviv airport. 

Iran has condemned the strikes as unprovoked and illegal and has launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israeli and U.S. military bases and allied states in the region.

Reports say Iran’s Red Crescent has recorded significant casualties across multiple provinces, and explosions have been reported in Gulf states hosting U.S. forces.