Ayatollah dead - Supreme Leader reportedly killed after strikes, Iran say still alive

Okay. We are getting word from Israel Channel 12 who are now reporting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead. Oh wow. That the Iranian supreme leader has been killed in the airstrikes launched by the United States and Israel today, a determined effort by President Donald Trump to topple the Iranian regime and if true, the reports coming to us now from Israeli Channel 12 that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, then they have indeed toppled the very head of that regime.

And the consequences and ramifications of that can only be guessed at because we have also been reporting just in the last few minutes that the Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Nasirazadeh, also the Israeli, sorry the Iranian I should say, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Commander Mohammad Pakpur is also dead. These two top officials, one a military official, the other a civilian official in charge of course of the military, the Iranian defence minister and the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Reuters, quoting three Iranian sources have been killed.

Add to that these very significant reports now coming from Israeli Channel 12 television reporting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, has been killed in those strikes.

That is incredible breaking news that Mark White is bringing you there. I mean he's 86 years old, he's been the real figurehead for the regime in Iran and some of the atrocities they have committed against their own people over the last couple of months. The initial reports were that we didn't know where he was, he had maybe been smuggled out of the country. But do we know any more? Was he killed? Was he still

in Iran? We don't know. Those reports, we don't have details as yet, but certainly when I was reporting first thing this morning on the strikes, we got a sort of message from the Fars news agency in Iran, obviously the state-run news agency there, very quickly suggesting that the Ayatollah had been put on a plane out of Tehran, the Iranian capital, effectively, they were suggesting to us, out of harm's way and away from any attempt by the United States or the Israelis to take him out because we had confirmation from multiple sources during the morning that as well as strikes that were targeting military targets and also

targeting ministries, ministry buildings belonging to the regime in the likes of central Tehran, what you were also seeing were decapitation strikes aimed at the figureheads of the Iranian regime. And the very top of that pile is the Ayatollah and, as I say, Channel 12 in Israel reporting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed.

OK. Mark White for now. Thank you very much. That's live breaking news for you. So let's join, let's talk to Israeli, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Mr Bennett, thank you so much for joining us.

Can we just have your reaction to that breaking news, please, that according to Israel, Channel 12, the Ayatollah has been killed by an Israeli strike. Now, can I have your reaction, please?

Well, it's not yet been confirmed, but this guy is the tip of the head of the octopus of terror that's been running the terror operations in Iran, in the region, the Middle East, and the whole world. This guy's hands, Khamenei's hands are soaked in blood of citizens and civilians from all across the world, from the United States, from Europe, from Israel, tens of thousands of his own people that he's been butchering throughout

the years, especially over the past few weeks. This guy is the epicenter of global terror, the head of the octopus of terror, and hopefully, hopefully he's dead.

What does that mean for what happens next though? I mean, does his death, if it is confirmed, create a vacuum that could be filled by something or someone worse?

Well, we hope that the Iranian people will seize this opportunity. President Trump and the state of Israel now have created a once in a lifetime opportunity for the amazing, wonderful and courageous people of Iran that seek freedom. They're fed up with being repressed for the past 47 years by a tyrannical, genocidal regime. But now the ball is in their hands. We cannot do it from outside.

They have to make the decision. Do they take to the streets and free themselves from the yoke of this dictator?

Mr Bennett, with the IRG, as we know, are very heavily armed. I mean, if someone does step in to take over leadership, they've got the arms. The ordinary Iranian people, most of them just armed with their fists. Would Israel, do you think, be willing to go in, put boots on the ground to help them get democracy back into their country?

No one's talking about boots on the ground, what we are doing is decapitating the leadership of the IRGC, of the tyrannical police, Basij, of all the elements in this horrible terrorist regime that have been killing their own people. And we're giving the air support to do that. I think that the message of President Trump has been very clear. Any IRGC person who lays down his weapons will be safe.

Anyone who continues fighting, his head is next. So at the end of the day, it's up to the Iranian people and we're praying for them and we're working hard from above to give that support.

How much more support would Israel, you think be willing to give though? Keep coming back to that point. The IRGC are very, very heavily armed. The ordinary people of Iran have nothing but their fists.

A lot of actions have been taken, covert actions to allow Iranian people to act, to fight back. As I said, we're not letting up. Our goal, from Israel's perspective and from the world's perspective, is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and reconstituting their ballistic missile program, which is a huge threat to the region. As you can see now, just today they targeted eight different countries, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, you name it, Iraq, etc, etc.

So we were very clear for quite a while that they have to let go of their nuclear ambitions or we'll have to let go of their nuclear ambitions or will have to act. They didn't listen and now we're acting.

OK. And how optimistic are you that this will be the end of this regime?

I don't know. It's up to the Iranian people.

And do you think – how long do you think Israel will be willing to carry on supporting the Iranian people? I mean, Trump has, President Trump has said that this is a matter of not just days, but it could go on for much longer. Will Israel be with America on that one?

Absolutely.

Okay.

Thank you very much for joining us. That's former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Mark, that astonishing breaking news now that the the head of the snake or the head of the octopus is evil as Naftali just called

it has been we think killed. Well this according to Israeli Channel 12 we've not been able to independently verify that so we await word. I should just say, you know, it's important to add caveats. Iran's foreign minister has said how many and the president are alive. He believes they are, is the quote. It's not confirmed, he's not seen them, but he believes they are alive.

And this, of course, is the Iranian foreign minister, so take that as you will. But what they are saying is that the compound that apparently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was in, meeting at that point, was struck. Smoke is confirmed to have been seen

at the compound in satellite images. Israel targeted a specific meeting, apparently. So the world just awaits now to see what the situation is. But let's just, you know, caveat that as always, Israel Channel 12 are reporting that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead.

However, Iran's foreign minister has said that he believes both the Ayatollah and the president are still alive. We'll bring you it as it's reported to us.

Yes, it is very difficult to establish the facts at the moment. It's a very fast-moving situation. Yes, it is very difficult to establish the facts at the moment. It's a very fast-moving situation. Mark White, thank you very much for now.