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TRANSCRIPT:
- The fate of Iran's Supreme Leader unclear, with reports of his assassination
- An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council held over Iran
- The Matildas face the Philippines tonight in their opening Women's Asian Cup game
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may have been killed, saying there were many signs he is no longer alive, but stopped short of confirmation.
Two Israeli TV networks report that the Ayatollah's body was recovered from the rubble of his compound in Tehran, citing an Israeli official; adding that photos of the body were reportedly shown to Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
Mr Netanyahu says Mr Khamenei’s compound had been destroyed and he urged Iranians to finish the job.
"There are many signs that this tyrant is also no longer. This morning we eliminated senior officials in the Ayatollah's regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear program - and we will continue. In the next few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime."
Iranian state television had earlier indicated Mr Khamenei would speak, but no address was broadcast by late Saturday.
However, Iranian state media, citing a source close to Mr Khamenei’s office, says the leader of the revolution is alive and firmly commanding the field.
The US and Israel have launched coordinated strikes on Iran’s leadership and nuclear infrastructure, prompting Iran to condemn the attacks and launch retaliatory strikes.
**
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says all senior leaders remain alive, following what he described as a major joint US and Israeli strike on the country.
Speaking to NBC News, Mr Araghchi was asked about the safety of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian after early strikes reportedly landed near key government sites.
He says all senior officials have been accounted for.
"As far as I know, yes, they are alive. The head of judiciary as well, the head of the speaker of parliament as well. All high-ranking officials are alive and the secretary of the National Security Council. So everybody is now in its position and we are handling this situation and everything is fine."
Iran has retaliated to the earlier attack launched by the US and Israel by launching missiles and drones toward Israel; and US military bases in the region - including in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.
Iran has also called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency to discuss what it called 'wrongful acts of aggressors, saying it challenges US and Israeli claims about the country's nuclear program.
The IAEA says it has seen no "radiological impact" from US and Israeli attacks on Iran; or retaliatory strikes in other countries in the region.
In a statement it says it is monitoring developments in the Middle East closely and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region.
**
The chief of staff to the exiled son of the toppled Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, says the US-Israeli strikes on Iran mark a potential turning point for the collapse of the Islamic Republic's leadership.
The strikes, which Israel says destroyed key military installations and targeted senior Revolutionary Guard and nuclear officials, have sparked retaliatory missile launches from Iran, escalating tensions across the region.
Chief of staff Cameron Khansarinia says Reza Pahlavi's organisation is registering increasing defections within Iran's armed forces, suggesting that soldiers could begin to side with the civilian population.
"If this campaign continues and further senior (Islamic Republic of Iran) regime officials are killed and the regime's repressive apparatus continues to be significantly weakened, then this will unquestionably be the end of the regime. If the regime can no longer hold on to power by brute force, if it can no longer repress the Iranian people, if its command and control structure all the way up to (Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah) Ali Khamenei is decimated, then the people will be able to take affairs into their own hands and topple this regime."
**
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says the impact on civilians is concerning amid concerns of a broader Middle East conflict after the US and Israel launched co-ordinated strikes against Iran.
Speaking at a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Iran, Mr Guterres says an immediate end to hostilities is needed to stop the rapidly unfolding impacts.
"About 20 cities across Iran have reportedly been attacked. Iran's airspace has been closed and the country is under a near total blackout. The attacks have reportedly caused significant civilian casualties. According to Iranian media, an airstrike killed 85 people and injured many more at a girls school in Minab."
**
In football, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has dismissed any fitness concerns surrounding Arsenal midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross ahead of the team's opening match for the Women's Asian Cup.
The Matildas' are aiming to win the Asian Cup for a second time, after Australia's first victory in 2010.
The players face the Philippines in Perth.
Montemurro says things are going well with Cooney-Cross and she is taking rest before the 12-nation tournament begins later today.
The Matildas take on Iran on the Gold Coast on Thursday before backing up against South Korea in Sydney three days later.
