Israel wanted to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei, but never got the chance, defense minister said
The Jewish state's military had been actively hunting for Khamenei before President Trump helped broker the cease-fire that came into effect earlier this week, Defense Minister Israel Katz, who had vowed to kill the leader during the conflict, told Israeli TV.
'I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,' he said.
3 The Israeli military hoped to assassinate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the 12-day war with Iran.
AP
3 The ayatollah hid underground following Israel's initial bombardments in Tehran.
BERNO/SIPA/Shutterstock
'But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn't realistic in the end,' he added.
Khamenei became a prime target for Israel last week after an Iranian ballistic missile hit a medical center in Beersheba, injuring about 80 people and completely destroying several wards.
Following the attack, Katz vowed that 'Khamenei will pay for his crimes,' with the defense minister claiming that future Israeli attacks would 'shake' Iran's regime.
The ayatollah went into hiding when the Israeli bombardments against Iran began on June 13, with Khamenei only surfacing on Thursday to absurdly claim victory over Israel and America.
3 Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the opportunity to kill Khamenei never presented itself during the days-long conflict.
REUTERS
'The Islamic Republic was victorious and, in retaliation, delivered a hand slap to America's face,' Khamenei said Thursday despite the heavy losses Iran suffered during the 12-day war.
He also tried to downplay the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities following the American attack with 'bunker-busting' bombs, attempting to contradict reports from Washington and the United Nations.
'US hit nuclear sites but couldn't achieve much,' Khamenei said in a televised speech before calling out Trump.
'US President Trump needed to do showmanship,' he said in his first statements since the cease-fire began on Tuesday.
The cease-fire agreement has held so far as the US and Qatar attempt to get Iran back to the negotiating table to discuss its nuclear energy program.
With Post wires
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