Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, declared on Thursday that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist,” following renewed tensions between the two archrivals.
The sharp remarks followed reports that the United States had blocked Israeli plans to target Khamenei for assassination.
Katz made the comments while visiting Holon, near Tel Aviv, after a fresh round of Iranian missile strikes injured 40 people at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.
“Khamenei openly states his intention to annihilate Israel—he authorises attacks on hospitals. A man like this cannot be allowed to remain in power,” Katz told reporters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when questioned about Khamenei during a separate visit to Beersheba, remarked, “I have been clear: no one is immune.” However, he also cautioned, “In war, one must choose words carefully and act with precision.”
A senior US official, speaking to AFP anonymously on Sunday, revealed that President Donald Trump had learned of Israeli plans to assassinate Khamenei but opposed the move.
“We informed the Israelis not to proceed,” the official said. Netanyahu has not confirmed or denied the report, though he commented in a television interview that eliminating Khamenei could potentially “end the conflict” between Israel and Iran.
Trump later posted on social media that the US was aware of Khamenei’s whereabouts but would refrain from targeting him “for now.”
Israel launched a series of unprovoked strikes on Iran last Friday, claiming it was a last-minute bid to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Since then, Israel has targeted numerous military officials, nuclear scientists, and key facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear and defence programmes.
Although Netanyahu has not explicitly called for regime change, he suggested that Iran’s leadership is more fragile than it appears.
“Iranians are beginning to see the regime’s vulnerability. This realisation could have consequences,” he said at a press conference.
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that any attempt to topple the Iranian leadership through military force would result in chaos. Meanwhile, both China and Russia have demanded that Israel cease its offensive.
Tehran continues to state that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Reports citing US intelligence officials have also cast doubt on Israeli claims that Iran has stepped up efforts to produce a nuclear bomb. Although Iran has been enriching uranium to 60 per cent — well above the 3.67 per cent cap set by the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump abandoned—it remains below the 90 per cent enrichment level needed for a nuclear weapon.
While Israel has never officially confirmed its nuclear arsenal, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates the country possesses around 90 nuclear warheads.
