Kim Vinnell

The Supreme Leader of Iran has been declared dead.

An historic day in the Middle East.

Hour by hour, dramatic events are unfolding across the region as President Donald Trump and Israel launch their most ambitious attack yet.

The stakes are high for Trump as he has briefed on the risks of America intervening in another conflict and the potential rewards.

if it can achieve regime change in Iran.

This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week.

I'm Kim Vinnell in Whanganui, New Zealand, with this special episode of Reuters World News.

The president of the United States says Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is dead.

The president's remarks, posted on Truth Social, came after an Israeli official told Reuters that they had found the body of Khamenei.

Satellite images show black smoke rising and heavy damage at the Supreme Leader's compound.

The announcement of his death marks an historic turning point for the Islamic Republic and a dramatic escalation in a new conflict that engulfed the Middle East in a matter of hours today.

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, was targeted as the United States and Israel launched their most ambitious attack on their archenemy.

Their missiles hit large swathes of Iran, from the country's north to its southern Gulf coast, including the capital, Tehran.

Iran has responded, bombarding Israel with missiles, many of which were intercepted, but not all of them.

Iran also attacked U.S.

bases across the region, including Qatar, which hosts the largest American military base in the Middle East.

They're now under siege.

Trump's announcement of Khamenei's death thrusts the country into levels of uncertainty not seen since the 1979 revolution.

The supreme leader wielded final authority over the military, the judiciary, the media, and Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.

Iran is now in open warfare, and its people are being urged by the U.S.