Satellite imagery reveals extensive damage to Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei's residence following alleged US-Israeli strike
High-resolution satellite imagery shows extensive destruction at the residence complex of Iran’s Supreme Leader in central Tehran, following an attack attributed to the United States and Israel.
US President Donald Trump stated that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strike. Iranian state media has also confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
According to ABC, satellite images released by aerospace company Airbus reveal the Supreme Leader’s residence is barely recognisable compared to its condition days earlier. In the imagery, which shadow patterns indicate was taken around mid-morning, the main building appears destroyed with smoke still billowing from the rubble.
The gardens that previously surrounded the main building now appear level with the ground and covered in debris. Rubble and damaged building structures are clearly visible in the images.
An Israeli media outlet reported that dozens of bombs were dropped on the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei residence area. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether bunker-buster munitions were used to penetrate underground facilities reportedly located far beneath the complex.
The Leadership Residence complex has long been known as the control centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, Khamenei has reportedly rarely appeared in public.
A recent report from advocacy organisation United Against Nuclear Iran previously referenced information indicating that Khamenei had been “relocated to a secure bunker”.
“His prolonged stay in the secure underground bunker also carries symbolic consequences within Iran,” the report stated.
Meanwhile, in a verified viral video recorded in the Jomhuri Avenue shopping area in central Tehran, around the time of the satellite imagery, large plumes of smoke can be seen rising into the sky several blocks from the complex location. In the recording, a woman’s voice is heard asking, “What has been hit?” A man near the camera responds, “It appears to be the leadership complex.”