Netanyahu refuses to rule out Khamenei assassination

Killing the Iranian supreme leader would end the conflict, the Israeli prime minister has claimed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to rule out trying to kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as the clash between the two nations continues to escalate.

Israel and Iran have been exchanging strikes since West Jerusalem bombed Iranian nuclear and military facilities last Friday in what it described as an effort to preempt Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. Israel has also targeted civilian areas, causing casualties, as well as the state broadcaster on Monday. The US, which had been engaged in Oman-mediated nuclear talks with Iran prior to the attack, has endorsed the Israeli operation.

In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Netanyahu was asked to comment on recent media reports claiming that US President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate the Iranian leader out of concern over further escalation.

“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” the Israeli prime minister replied.

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“The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression,” he claimed.

When asked whether he would really target Khamenei, Netanyahu replied, “Look, we’re doing what we need to do. I’m not going to get into the details, but we’ve targeted their top nuclear scientists.”

Israel has claimed it killed at least ten Iranian nuclear scientists using targeted bombings since last week. Iran has repeatedly accused West Jerusalem of carrying out clandestine assassinations of top Iranian minds in the field for more than a decade prior to the current hostilities.

Netayahu has positioned the Israeli attack as a “service” to protect both the US and the wider world from Iran.

“Today, it’s Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it’s New York. Look, I understand ‘America First’. I don’t understand ‘America Dead’,” he said, adding that West Jerusalem would need Washington’s help to totally eliminate Tehran’s nuclear program.

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Israel has reportedly asked the US to take a direct part in strikes on Iran. The Israeli Air Force lacks the bunker-buster bombs capable of taking out Iran’s deep underground nuclear facilities, but Washington could provide them, Axios wrote on Saturday, citing Israeli officials.

Tehran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, and has accused Israel of torpedoing its talks with the US.

“Iran did NOT begin this war and has no interest in perpetuating bloodshed. But we will proudly fight to the last drop of blood to protect our land,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Monday. He warned that “getting the US mired in the Mother of Forever Wars” would destroy any chance of a diplomatic solution.