Everything you need to know about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , supreme leader of Iran

A week aft Israel launched a astonishment attack connected Iran aiming to hitch retired its atomic program, each eyes are present connected the country’s reclusive ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Thursday, pursuing an Iranian rocket onslaught that deed an Israeli hospital, Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said successful a connection that "Khamenei volition beryllium held accountable for his crimes," adding during a sojourn to 1 of the interaction sites that "a idiosyncratic similar that should not exist," aboriginal calling him "the modern time Hitler," according to the Times of Israel.

Over decades of rule, Khamenei has built an impenetrable ellipse astir him some wrong and extracurricular of Iran. Now, with Israel taking out immoderate of his closest aides and elder information figures, arsenic good arsenic importantly weakening its militant Islamic allies crossed the region, the ultimate person is opening to look progressively isolated. 

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Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is lasting with subject leaders. (AP)

"He calls himself a revolutionary, not a diplomat," Dr. Meir Javedanfar, a lecturer successful Iran Studies astatine Reichman University adjacent Tel Aviv who grew up successful Tehran, told Fox News Digital, adding that helium sees himself arsenic a "revolutionary." 

On Wednesday, that militancy and determination to enactment successful powerfulness came done successful statements by Khamenei, who said the "Iranian federation volition not surrender" and "war volition beryllium met with war, bombing with bombing, and onslaught with strike," according to section media reports.  

Born successful 1939 to a spiritual but humble household successful Mashad, eastbound Iran, Khamenei was among the Islamist activists who played an instrumental relation successful the pivotal 1979 gyration to overthrow the U.S.-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was President of Iran doubly and a adjacent state of the country's archetypal ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni. (Getty images)

A adjacent state of Iran’s archetypal ultimate leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the gyration and founded the Islamic Republic, Khamenei emerged arsenic a trusted lieutenant, helping to beforehand the caller regime’s conception of religiously-dominated governance. 

For overmuch of the 1980s, helium served arsenic Iran’s president, a mostly ceremonious role. Additionally, erstwhile Khomeini died successful 1989, Khamenei, who according to immoderate reports was not yet qualified for the position, roseate to go the country’s ultimate leader.

Since then, Khamenei has worked to consolidate his implicit power, tightening his grip connected the country’s political, subject and information apparatus, portion cracking down connected dissent and taking a steadfast basal against progressive ideas, the West and Israel. 

Lisa Daftari, an adept connected Iran and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital, "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regularisation has been marked by unrelenting brutality and repression, some wrong Iran and beyond its borders. Under his nonstop command, the authorities has executed hundreds of prisoners successful conscionable the past year, including women, and continues to clasp the satellite grounds for executions and torture.

"The authorities constabulary and notorious 'morality police,’ each nether Khamenei’s control, enforce a terrible mentation of Sharia law, violently suppressing dissent and targeting women and minorities. His apparatus has not lone silenced opponents astatine location done wide arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings, but has besides orchestrated assassinations of dissidents overseas and exported panic crossed the region."

Daftari concluded, "Khamenei’s authorities is liable for the deaths of countless Iranians and adjacent Americans, with humor connected his hands from some home crackdowns and planetary violence. For astir 5 decades, Iran has been tally arsenic a constabulary state, wherever fear, surveillance, and systematic quality rights abuses are tools of governance and methods of authorities survival."

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, greets then-Syrian President Bashar Assad successful Tehran, Iran, connected Feb. 25, 2019. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)

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Khamenei has besides invested heavy successful the alleged axis of resistance crossed the region, including backing the Palestinian violent radical Hamas, Hezbollah successful Lebanon, the Houthi question successful Yemen and other militant militias. Many of these allies, arsenic good arsenic the authorities of Bashar al-Assad successful Syria, person collapsed implicit the past twelvemonth and a fractional nether Israeli subject pressure. 

Inside Iran, Khamenei’s conservative-style of enactment has faced challenges implicit the years, including concisely successful 2009 following elections wherever Khamenei declared triumph for the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sparking monolithic fashionable demonstrations - with immoderate protestors calling for Khamenei’s downfall. 

Mass protests besides broke retired successful the autumn of 2022 aft Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old, died portion detained by the morality constabulary for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. The protests were brutally enactment down, with galore of those arrested enactment to decease by his regime.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, meets Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad Movement Ziyad al-Nakhalah, left, and the erstwhile caput of the Hamas panic radical Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated 1 time aft this photograph was taken, Tehran, Iran, connected July 30, 2024. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

However, according to the Council For Foreign Relations, Iran’s ultimate person remains "leader for life" nether a clerical ruling strategy that puts him astatine the caput of authorities and affords him immense power derived from spiritual authority. 

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"When helium was a young man, he studied the writings of the founders of Muslim Brotherhood, and ever believed successful militant Islam," said Javedanfar, adding that helium has besides "always been anti-Israel to the constituent of antisemitism." 

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the assemblage portion attending a ceremonial marking the 30th decease day of the precocious revolutionary laminitis Ayatollah Khomeini, shown successful the poster astatine rear, astatine his mausoleum conscionable extracurricular Tehran, Iran, connected Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Ayatollah Khamenei said his state volition proceed resisting U.S. economical and governmental unit connected his country. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

"I deliberation helium believes successful confronting Israel successful each means possible," helium said, noting that determination are nary signs Khamenei is funny in backing down. 

"I'm definite galore radical had warned him that supporting Hamas aft October 7, and Hezbollah and different groups could bring warfare to Iran's territory but helium obviously, helium didn't listen," Javedanfar said.