JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there were signs that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an attack on his compound as part of United States-Israeli strikes.

“This morning, in a powerful surprise strike, the compound of the tyrant Ali Khamenei was destroyed in the heart of Tehran,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement.

“For more than three and a half decades, this cruel tyrant has spread terror across the world while oppressing his own people, while working tirelessly and without pause on a plan to destroy Israel,” he added.

“That plan is no more — and there are many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive,” Netanyahu said.

Two Israeli television networks reported that Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran, while there was no confirmation from Tehran.

“Ali Khamenei is dead,” reported public broadcaster Kan on its X account.

Israel’s Channel 12, citing a source, said: “Khamenei is dead.”

During the televised address, Netanyahu also said that the “decisive” US-Israeli operation would last “as long as necessary”.

“This morning we eliminated senior figures in the ayatollahs’ regime — commanders in the Revolutionary Guards and senior officials in the nuclear programme — and we will continue,” Netanyahu said.

“In the coming days, we will strike thousands of targets of the terror regime,” he added.