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Iran Confirms Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Dead after US-Israeli Attacks
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Iranian state media have confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at his office in the Israeli-US attacks on Iran, following earlier reports of his killing by US and Israeli officials.
A 40-day mourning period for the longtime Iranian leader has been announced.
The Sunday confirmation comes after Iran’s Tasnim and Mehr news agencies initially reported that Khamenei remained “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.
US President Donald Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform earlier in the day that 86-year-old Khamenei was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes, which began early on Saturday.
“He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do,” Trump wrote.
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” he said. “Hopefully, the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots.”
While Iranian authorities have long planned for the possible killing of Khamenei in the event of a war with the US and Israel, his assassination injects new uncertainty into an unfolding conflict that has already spurred concerns that fighting could escalate and expand further.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier also claimed that there were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed.
Additionally, the Reuters news agency, citing an unnamed senior Israeli official, had reported that Khamenei’s body had been located.
Khamenei has been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, succeeding the founder of the post-shah Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who steered Iran’s 1979 revolution.
Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera that Iran “has a plan” in place in the event that Khamenei’s death is confirmed.
“There will probably be a council that will be set up to run the country. It may already have been running the country, as far as we know,” she said.
Trump signals continued strikes
Saturday’s strikes on Iran targeted 24 provinces, killing at least 201 people, according to Iranian media reports, citing the Red Crescent.
Among the attacks, Israel struck two schools in Iran, killing at least 108 people at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in the southern city of Minab, and two others at a school east of the capital, Tehran.
Netanyahu said in his address that many “senior figures” had been “eliminated” in the wave of attacks targeting senior leaders, as Trump called for the government to be toppled.
Israel, Netanyahu said, had killed “commanders in the Revolutionary Guard and senior officials in the nuclear programme. And we will continue.”
Trump indicated on his Truth Social post that “heavy and pinpoint bombing” of Iran would go on “uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary”.
Iran’s counterattacks on Saturday triggered air-defence interceptions in several countries where airbases with US assets are hosted, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
On Saturday evening, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the third and fourth waves of “retaliatory” strikes on US and Israeli positions were ongoing, according to a statement carried by the IRNA news agency.
Guterres calls for de-escalation
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that he deeply regretted that an opportunity for diplomacy had been “squandered”.
“Military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world,” he told the 15-member body. “I call for de-escalation and an immediate cessation of hostilities”.
Addressing the Security Council, Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said the US and Israel had “initiated an unprovoked and premeditated aggression”, attacking “civilian populated areas in multiple large cities of Iran, where millions of people reside”.
“This is not only an act of aggression, it is a war crime, and a crime against humanity,” he said.
China’s UN ambassador, Fu Cong, said Beijing was very concerned by “the sudden escalation of regional tensions”.
Russia’s ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, condemned the US-Israeli air strikes, demanding that the US and Israel “immediately cease their aggressive actions”.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has released the identities of the people who died in the crash involving an NAF ATR 42 aircraft in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State, on Monday.
The aircraft, NAF 931, was carrying five crew members and 20 passengers when it crashed during a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
In a statement, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, NAF spokesperson, said no survivor had been found following the accident, which prompted the immediate activation of search-and-rescue operations in coordination with relevant authorities.
Those killed include five crew members: Squadron Leader MI Aburime, the flight captain; Squadron Leader AP Man-Ugwueje, co-pilot; Flight Lieutenant IS Bako, co-pilot; Warrant Officer Abubakar A, aircraft technician; and Corporal Uguru HC, aircraft technician.
The 20 passengers were identified as Flight Lieutenant TL Lazarus; Flight Lieutenant M Akinloye; Flying Officer IM Adeshina; Master Warrant Officer Onwuka F; Master Warrant Officer Matini BA; Warrant Officer Nuhu FS; Flight Sergeant James RB; Flight Sergeant Mohammed AI; Sergeant Ani AE; Sergeant Izibenikien SI; Sergeant Alafuka C; Sergeant Mbadugha AN; Lance Corporal Ugwuba FC; Lance Corporal Eledan GE; Mrs Ezeh Nneka; Godstmine Tarabina; Joy Micheal; Sunday Micheal; Ukeme David; and Gideon Omotola.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, expressed profound condolences to the families, loved ones and colleagues of those who lost their lives in the crash.
Aneke described the incident as a deeply painful moment for the Nigerian Air Force and the country, while assuring the bereaved families of the Service’s full support during the difficult period.
He has also directed a comprehensive investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Meanwhile, a condolence register has been opened at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force in Abuja for senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of security agencies and other well-wishers wishing to pay their respects and sympathise with the families of the deceased and the NAF.
The statement was signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force.
Daily Trust
President Bola Tinubu has declared a three-day national mourning over the Ondo military aircraft crash and is also calling for a probe into the incident.
He also directed that flags should be flown at half-mast throughout the country as a mark of respect to the officers.
In a statement on Monday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu “extends his deepest condolences to the family of the 25 passengers and seven crew members involved, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and all officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.”
A military source confirmed to Channels Television that all 32 persons on board the aircraft died in the crash.
The passenger aircraft was on a “routine mission” from Benin City in southern Nigeria to the economic hub of Lagos when it went down at Igbokoda in Ondo State shortly after 9:00 am (0800 GMT), the President and the Air Force said.
“This is a painful moment for our Armed Forces and for the entire nation. Our Air Force personnel put their lives on the line every day to secure Nigeria. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
“I commend the Nigerian Air Force for activating an immediate Search and Rescue operation following the accident. I pray for the repose of the souls of the gallant officers and for Almighty God to grant their families and the Nigerian Air Force the fortitude to bear the unfortunate loss.
“I assure the Nigerian Air Force of the continued support of our administration as they continue their vital role in securing our nation. I also commend the swift response of first responders and the Ondo State Government at the crash site,” the president said.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the 2026 edition of its annual awards ceremony will take place in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 7.
The decision was reached at a virtual meeting of the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO), chaired by the organisation’s president, Patrice Motsepe, on Friday, 2 October.
The meeting also approved the CAF Competitions Calendar for 2026–2030, alongside amendments to the regulations governing the continent’s interclub competitions.
Nigeria will host another major CAF event, the organisation’s Ordinary General Assembly, on 21 November.
The 2026 CAF Awards will bring together leading footballers, coaches, clubs and administrators to celebrate outstanding performances in African football.
The ceremony recognises achievements across men’s and women’s football, including the Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Club of the Year categories.
Nigeria has enjoyed considerable success at the awards, particularly in the men’s and women’s Player of the Year categories.
Ademola Lookman won the men’s award in 2024, following Victor Osimhen’s triumph in 2023, making them the first Nigerian pair to secure consecutive victories in the category since Nwankwo Kanu and Victor Ikpeba achieved the feat in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
The 2024 ceremony, held in Marrakech, Morocco, also saw Nigeria’s Super Falcons named Women’s National Team of the Year, while goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie received the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
At the 2025 edition held in Rabat, Morocco dominated the ceremony during a historic night in Rabat, with Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain) and Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco/Al Hilal) winning the Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year awards, respectively.
Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Al Hilal) and Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie (Brighton & Hove Albion) claimed the Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year honours, and Othmane Maamma (Morocco/Watford) and Doha El Madani (Morocco/AS FAR) were named Men’s and Women’s Young Players of the Year, respectively.
Beyond the awards announcement, the EXCO approved significant changes to the regulations governing the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
Under the revised rules, players will be permitted to represent more than one club during a single CAF interclub season, a change that could provide clubs with greater flexibility in managing their squads.
The committee also approved an increase in the number of players clubs can register, setting the maximum at 40 players at any point during the season.
Clubs will additionally be allowed to replace four players during the final registration window, provided those players have not featured in any CAF interclub match during the season.
Another significant amendment concerns disciplinary proceedings. All disciplinary matters will now be referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board, removing that responsibility from the Interclub Committee.
The changes are expected to influence how clubs approach player recruitment, registration and squad management in continental competitions.
The EXCO also approved the dates for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, with the final tournament scheduled to run from 1 to 15 November.
The competition, which brings together the leading women’s club sides from across Africa, has become a major platform for the development and visibility of women’s football on the continent.
Nigeria’s Edo Queen’s participation in this year’s competition is presently being challenged following the annulment of their victory at the WAFU B tournament after a protest by Ampem Dakoa.
In another decision, CAF confirmed that Senegal will host the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations from 28 November to 6 December.
The West African country, which won the previous edition, will host the tournament as it seeks to defend its continental title.
