US President Donald Trump officially confirmed early Sunday on social media that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed. This came shortly after he had stated that he needed "definitive and visible evidence" of the supreme leader's death.

In his post, Trump emphasized that, despite the significant development, joint US-Israeli strikes would persist across Iran for a full week. The goal, he indicated, is to completely neutralize the country's defensive capabilities.

Just minutes prior, however, a source close to Khamenei informed Iranian state media that the supreme leader remained "steadfast and firm in commanding the field" amid the ongoing unprovoked attacks by the US and Israel. Iranian officials are yet to confirm the death of Iran's supreme leader himself.

[caption id="attachment_4169" align="alignnone" width="243"] Donald Trump's post on social media platform Truth Social[/caption]

The Fars News Agency - which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - has reported that Ali Khamenei's daughter, son-in-law and grandchild have been killed in the attacks, quoting "informed sources" in the Supreme Leader's office.

The aerial assaults by the US and Israel against Iranian leadership and military targets began on Saturday. These operations resulted in more than 230 deaths, including 108 children, along with nearly 750 injuries according to reports.

In response, Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes against nearly all Arab nations hosting US military bases, including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.

Iran views the current situation as an existential threat and shows no intention of sparing its regional neighbors. Reports indicate that several high-ranking Iranian officials have been killed in Israeli strikes, among them Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour. An intelligence source and a military source have told the BBC's media partner, CBS News, that around 40 other Iranian officials were killed in the strikes though it is unclear if the officials were in one location or multiple.

Additionally, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's residential compound sustained severe damage.

[caption id="attachment_4170" align="alignnone" width="300"] Satellite imagery from an alleged Israeli strike on the bunker where Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly being guarded.[/caption]