Israel hits Tehran again after killing Khamenei

Israel has launched a new wave of attacks on Tehran, saying it aims to dominate the skies after killing Iran’s supreme leader and leaving the Islamic Republic struggling to rebuild its leadership in its biggest test in five decades.

The attacks by the United States and Israel and retaliation by Iran have sent shockwaves through industries from shipping to air travel to oil, amid warnings of rising energy costs and business disruptions in the strategic waterway that is a global trade hub.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said a leadership council consisting of himself, the head of the judiciary and a member of the powerful Guardian Council has temporarily assumed the duties of the Supreme Leader following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a sign of escalating unrest, Israel’s ambulance service said nine people were killed in a missile attack on the town of Beit Shemesh, the United Arab Emirates said three people were killed in Iranian attacks, and Kuwait reported one person was killed in Iran raids.

The Israeli army stated that its air force killed Khamenei, adding that Israeli planes carried out attacks in the past day to open the “road to Tehran” and that most of the air defense systems in western and central Iran were dismantled.

When asked whether Israel was considering deploying ground forces to Iran, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said it was not under consideration, even though U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called on the Iranians to seize a rare opportunity to overthrow their leader.

Hours after the United States and Israel said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike during a military campaign to overthrow the Islamic Republic’s government, Iranian state media confirmed the 86-year-old leader’s death.

His daughter, grandson, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were also killed during the raid.

While some in Iran grieved for Khamenei, others celebrated his death, exposing a deep fault line in a country stunned by the sudden death of the man who ruled the country for decades.

Thousands of Iranians were killed in January during Khamenei’s crackdown on anti-government protests; This was the deadliest wave of unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Images from Tehran show mourners gathered in a square, wearing black and many crying.

But videos posted on social media showed joy and defiance elsewhere, too; People cheering as a statue topples in Dehloran city in Ilam province, dancing in the streets of Karaj city near Tehran in Alborz province, and celebrating in the streets of Izeh in Khuzestan province. Reuters confirmed the locations of these videos.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new religious leader would be elected “within a day or two” to signal stability and continuity.

According to the Iranian constitution, the Supreme Leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts, a religious body with 88 members, and this board can, in theory, control this number.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned Khamenei’s death as a cynical murder and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called it an “obvious murder”, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Khamenei’s death was a “defining moment in Iranian history”.

Pope Leo said he followed with “deep concern” the events following the attacks on pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square and called for an end to what he called the “spiral of violence”.

Trump warned on Sunday that he would strike Iran “with unprecedented force” if the United States responds after attacks on Iran.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baqir Qalibaf said in his statement to Trump and Netanyahu, “We will deal you such terrible blows that you will have to beg.”

“To Trump, to Netanyahu, to their agents and surrogates, I say, I repeat, to these two filthy criminals and all their agents: You crossed our red line and you must pay the price.”

Following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Sunday, shipping data showed at least 150 tankers, including crude oil and liquefied natural gas carriers, were anchored in open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz, with dozens more remaining stationary on the other side of the choke point.