Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint strike by the United States and Israel on Saturday. However, following his death, Iran vowed to take revenge and carried out retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The assassination of Ali Khamenei in missile strikes from the US and Israel has plunged the Middle East into a full-blown conflict. Actor Farrhana Bhatt, who emerged as the runner-up in Bigg Boss Season 19, has mourned the news of his death and said that he will live on forever in everyone’s hearts. (Also read: Iranian actor Elnaaz Norouzi of Sacred Games fame celebrates Ali Khamenei’s death, calls it ‘most incredible news’)
What Farrhana said
Speaking to Instant Bollywood, Farrhana said, “Woh ek aisi shaksiyat hai, jinko kabhi bhulaya nahi jaa sakta. He will be alive in our hearts, and definitely Allah unki shahadat qabool kare. Kashmiri jitne bhi log hai bahot hie iss chiz jhulaz chuke hai, dil dahel chuka hai sabka (He is a personality who can never be forgotten. He will remain alive in our hearts, and may Allah definitely accept his martyrdom. Many Kashmiris have been touched by this, and it has broken their hearts).”
She went on to add, “You will not believe sehri ke baad main bilkul soyi nahi hoon. Aaj maine namaz padhi toh I was so sad because this should not have happened. Kaafi logo ke liye woh ek messiah the. Definitely, woh hamare dil mein zinda rahenge (You won’t believe it. I haven’t slept at all after Sehri. Today, when I prayed, I was so sad because this shouldn’t have happened. For many people, he was a messiah. Definitely, he will remain alive in our hearts).”
More details about Khamenei’s assassination
Meanwhile, protests broke out across parts of Jammu and Kashmir after Iran confirmed the death of Ali Khamenei. Demonstrations were reported from Srinagar and Bandipora. Protesters raised slogans and expressed anger over the reported attack. Hundreds of Kashmiri Shia Muslims were on the streets carrying pictures of Khamenei and banners supporting Iran.
Khamenei took power in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and installed clerical rule. Where Khomeini was a charismatic ideologue, Khamenei – then a relatively low-ranking cleric – was seen as a quieter, more bureaucratic figure tasked with turning revolutionary zeal into a durable state.
He ended up ruling longer than Khomeini. Over 35 years, Khamenei expanded the clerical establishment and transformed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into the backbone of his authority. The Guard evolved into Iran’s most elite military force, controller of its ballistic missile arsenal and a vast business empire spanning energy, construction, telecommunications and finance.
