Iranian state media has released the first interior images of the destroyed Tehran compound where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israel airstrike.
The release of the first interior footage of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's ruined compound offers a stark, concrete look at the devastating power of the joint U.S.-Israel airstrike that decapitated Iran's leadership.
For months, the world only had satellite views of the damage, but this new video brings the reality of the high-stakes regional war into sharp focus.
WHAT HAPPENED
On Thursday, July 9, 2026, Iranian state media released the first-ever footage showing the extensive destruction inside late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s residential compound in central Tehran.
The video, broadcast on state television and published on Khamenei's official website, provides a rare look inside the heavily fortified complex known as Beyt-e Rahbari.
The footage focuses on the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, the main prayer and meeting hall where the Supreme Leader regularly delivered public addresses and met with top officials.
The video shows a gutted structure stripped down to its support beams and rebar. Piles of rubble, twisted steel beams, and shattered concrete are scattered across the site.
The damage is the result of a massive joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026, which killed the 86-year-old Supreme Leader.
The strike also killed several members of his family, including his 14-month-old granddaughter, while injuring his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.
While satellite images of the compound's exterior were published shortly after the attack, Iranian authorities had kept the interior damage strictly under wraps until now.
- Date of Airstrike: February 28, 2026
- Date of Video Release: July 9, 2026
- Target Site: Imam Khomeini Hussainiya, the main meeting hall inside Khamenei's Tehran compound
- Casualties: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (86) and several family members, including his 14-month-old granddaughter
- Successor: Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son, who was injured in the strike but has since assumed power
WHY IT MATTERS
The release of this footage represents a significant symbolic moment for Iran. State media broadcast the video as a "martyrdom" tribute, timed to coincide with the final burial of Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad. By showing the complete destruction of the high-security residence, Iran is attempting to rally public support and foster a sense of shared grief and defiance among its population.
On a geopolitical level, the visual confirmation of the strike's precision underscores the total decapitation of Iran's top leadership. The February 28 strike remains the most significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. The ability of U.S. and Israeli forces to penetrate one of the most heavily fortified and secretive locations in Iran sent shockwaves through the region's security establishment.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The release of the footage comes as Iran concludes a six-day, multi-city funeral procession for Khamenei. His flag-draped coffin was flown from the Iraqi holy city of Najaf to Mashhad on Thursday, where he is set to be laid to rest at the Imam Reza shrine.
Meanwhile, the regional conflict continues to intensify. Just hours before the footage was released, the U.S. launched fresh airstrikes against military targets in Iran, prompting retaliatory missile fire from Tehran toward U.S.-allied Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. These escalating hostilities have severely threatened a fragile interim ceasefire deal that was intended to help bring an end to the war.
WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNOW
- How will the transition of power to Mojtaba Khamenei affect Iran's long-term military strategy and its willingness to negotiate a permanent peace deal?
- What specific intelligence and technology did the U.S. and Israel use to bypass the compound's heavy air defenses and execute the strike with such precision?
- Will the ongoing exchange of airstrikes completely collapse the fragile interim ceasefire and plunge the Middle East into a wider, unchecked regional war?
SOURCE NOTE
This story draws on reporting from the New York Post.