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Assassinating Supreme Leader Khamenei ‘not off limits', Israeli officials say
This could be an indication that the Jewish nation is now looking at potentially eliminating the country's entire leadership and dismantling the theocratic regime read more
In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting with a group of air force officers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Several Israeli officials and politicians have refused to rule out the possibility of assassinating Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid escalating tensions between the two nations.
A top Israeli official was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal that killing the supreme leader was 'not off limits'. The official said that the conflict 'would only end either with Iran voluntarily dismantling its nuclear program or Israel making it impossible for Tehran to reconstitute it.'
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Channel 12 also quoted a top Israeli political source as saying that the possibility can't be ruled out. 'Israel is not ruling out the possibility of eliminating Ali Khamenei, but it depends on many things,' the source said.
This could be an indication that the Jewish nation is now looking at potentially eliminating the country's entire leadership and dismantling the theocratic regime.
In initial strikes under its Operation Rising Lion , Israel killed Iran's highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps and its air force and a former national security chief.
The Israeli official quoted by the WSJ said that Israeli strikes have already dealt a blow to heavily fortified Natanz enrichment facility, where structural collapse was reported. Israeli also claimed to have killed at least nine nuclear scientists of the Shi'ite nation.
On Sunday, additional Israeli strikes on Iran were reported , where the Israeli military targeted Ministry of Defence headquarters in Tehran as well as an oil depot.
Khamenei meanwhile has vowed retribution. In a televised address, he said, 'We will not permit them to evade consequences for this significant wrongdoing they have perpetrated.'
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The ongoing exchange between Israel and Iran has sparked widespread international concern, especially regarding the targeting of political leaders and the risks to deeply buried nuclear facilities. Although there are doubts about Israel's ability to completely dismantle Iran's nuclear programme, an official has claimed that the recent strikes have already 'set back Iran's capabilities significantly.'
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