Israel threatens with to Iran’s supreme president
(MENAFN) Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared on Thursday that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist,” effectively issuing a direct threat against the Iranian leader. This follows earlier media reports that former U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected an Israeli proposal to assassinate Khamenei.
Israel launched a series of airstrikes last Friday targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and killing senior military officials. The strikes triggered Iranian retaliation, and the two nations have since been exchanging attacks.
Katz made his remarks after a missile reportedly struck Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, a key city in southern Israel. According to Shlomi Codish, the hospital’s director general, the missile hit an old, evacuated building, though other parts of the hospital sustained damage. Some individuals were lightly injured, mostly due to the shockwave.
Katz claimed Khamenei was directly responsible for ordering attacks on civilian sites such as hospitals and argued this justified calling for his assassination. He also accused Iran’s supreme leader of aiming to destroy Israel.
However, Iranian media reported that the missile was intended for an Israeli military intelligence center located in the nearby Gav-Yam Negev Advanced Technologies Park, roughly 1.3 kilometers from the hospital.
Last week, several Western media outlets reported that Israel had consulted the U.S. about a plan to assassinate Khamenei before the latest conflict escalated. According to Axios, Trump rejected the idea, with American officials cautioning Israel that Iran had not killed any Americans and that targeting political leaders should be off-limits.
In a Fox News interview on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that Iran had attempted to assassinate Trump twice and still considered him a target due to his strong stance on Tehran.
Although U.S. authorities have charged two individuals—one posthumously—in separate incidents linked to plots to assassinate Trump during his 2024 campaign, neither case has been directly tied to Iran. Washington has also claimed that Iran conspired with people in the U.S. to kill Trump before his reelection, an allegation Tehran has denied.
Earlier this week, Trump made his own veiled threat against Khamenei, calling him “an easy target” but stating that “we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.” He also reiterated his demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
