Israel has declared that the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, complied with international law governing armed conflict, describing him as a legitimate military target.
The development comes as the Middle East conflict that began on Saturday continues to escalate following coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets.
One of the strikes reportedly killed Khamenei, who served as Iran’s supreme leader and commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces.
Israel said the attacks were necessary to safeguard its national security, accusing Iran of reconstituting its nuclear weapons programme in a new underground facility.
Israel’s military spokesman, Nadav Shoshani, defended the operation on Thursday, saying the strike that killed Khamenei complied with international law.
“Under the international law of armed conflict, military commanders directing armed forces during war can constitute lawful military targets,” Shoshani wrote on X.
He said that as Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei served as the commander-in-chief of the Iranian armed forces and was the final decision-maker on the country’s military operations.
According to Shoshani, Khamenei played a direct role in directing attacks against Israel and coordinating the activities of allied armed groups in the region.
“During the ongoing conflict, he directed the use of force against Israel and oversaw the funding, arming, and coordination of the regime’s terror proxies,” he said.
He added that neutralising Iran’s commander-in-chief delivered a clear military advantage by weakening the country’s ability to plan and coordinate attacks against Israel.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that several members of Khamenei’s family were also killed in the strike.
Those reportedly killed include his wife, son-in-law, and two grandchildren who were minors.
Iran has responded to the killing with waves of missile attacks targeting Israel and locations across the Middle East.
Some of the missiles were also directed at United States military and diplomatic facilities in the region.
In response, Israel and the United States have continued to carry out airstrikes on Iranian targets as tensions in the region remain high.
