Update: Iran’s supreme leader is dead after U.S., Israeli strikes

Israeli officials are reporting that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed following a major attack carried out by the U.S. and Israel. UPDATE: This has not been confirmed by Iranian state media.

In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported there being growing signs that Iran’s leader had been killed by Israeli strikes on his compound early Saturday.

As the attack initially unfolded, U.S. President Donald Trump promised to cripple the country’s military capabilities, eliminate its nuclear program and spark a change in leadership.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime chanted ‘death to America’ and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” said Trump.

Iranian news outlets say strikes were carried out nationwide, with early reports indicating impacts near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In retaliation, Iran fired ballistic missiles toward Israel and American bases in the region, with apparent attacks reported in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait — areas with U.S. military bases or close ties to Washington.

According to officials from the Israeli military, strikes also killed Iran’s defense minister and the commander of its Revolutionary Guard.

“It’s being done with almost no, or essentially no attempt to justify this to the public, to the American public, to the world public,” said Rob Goodman, professor of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

WATCH MORE: Tensions reach boiling point as war breaks out along Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The strikes come just two days after talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.

Oman’s foreign minister, a key mediator, expressed his dismay on social media saying, “Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined. Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also condemned the use of force, saying it “undermines international peace and security.” He also criticized Iran’s response.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will not get directly involved in the military efforts, despite expressing his support for the U.S. action.

Carney has said that Iran should never be able to develop a nuclear weapon, calling the Middle Eastern country the principal source of instability and terror in the region.

Goodman says he’s disappointed by Carney’s response, especially given how strongly he previously spoke about defending democratic values and a global system built on law, not just power.

“This attack by President Trump and Israel on Iran really flies in the face of all those principles. It is by no means a preemptive strike — it’s a strike simply with a regime change motive; it’s purely a war of choice. And under no means is it a war that meets these categories, legal under international law. It hasn’t even been approved by the Security Council, let alone Congress,” said Goodman.

Carney has acknowledged the struggle of the Iranian people and urged all sides to do everything possible to safeguard civilian lives.

Canadians in the Middle East are being urged to leave the region, while those in Iran are being told to shelter in place.

WATCH MORE: U.S. assembles large military buildup around Iran as tensions reach boiling point