Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iranian supreme leader: US official
"We found out that the Israelis had plans to hit Iran's supreme leader. President Trump was against it and we told the Israelis not to," said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dodged a question about reports that Trump had asked his country not to kill Khamenei.
"I'm not going to get into that," he told Fox News.
"But I can tell you,... we'll do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," he said.
The comments came as Israel and Iran exchanged another barrage of missiles Sunday, with residents told to seek shelter as booms were heard over Jerusalem, and aerial defense systems reportedly activated in Tehran.
After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marked the first time the countries have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.
It began Friday, when Israel launched an attack that has killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, and struck military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.
As Israel struck targets across Iran again on Sunday, Netanyahu vowed to make the country pay a "heavy price" for killing Israeli civilians.
He also strongly suggested to Fox News that Israel had killed Iran's intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, saying it had recently "got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran" as its jets carried out raids over the capital.
Trump has insisted that Washington, a strong ally of Israel, "had nothing to do" with Israel's bombing campaign.
But he also threatened to unleash "the full strength and might" of the US military if Iran attacked US interests, later urging the two foes to "make a deal."
Trump stressed to ABC News Sunday that the United States is "not at this moment" involved in the military action, but said it was "possible we could get involved."
He also said he would be "open" to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator to resolve the conflict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
38 minutes ago
- Euronews
Iran launches new wave of missile attacks on Israel
The fourth day of conflict between Israel and Iran began with renewed violence and mounting casualties, as Iran launched a fresh wave of missile attacks on Israeli cities early Monday. Air raid sirens sounded across the country in the early hours, and Israeli emergency services confirmed at least five people killed and dozens more injured in the latest bombardments. In Tel Aviv, explosions lit up the sky as Israel's air defence systems intercepted most of the incoming missiles. The overnight assault follows a weekend of attacks that saw Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, military sites and targets in populated areas. Iran has responded with attacks, including drones and ballistic missiles. Stay with Euronews' reporters from the region and around the world, bringing you the latest updates and reactions as the dramatic events in the Middle East continue to unfold.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Israel kills IRGC intelligence chief, Iranian state media says
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency has confirmed the death of the Islamic Revolutionary Corps intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq. It added that a third IRGC intelligence officer, Mohsen Bagheri, was also killed in the strike in Tehran. They were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already stated earlier that Kazemi and Mohaqiq had been killed. Israel and Iran launched attacks on each other for the third day in a row on Sunday, killing scores of civilians, and raising fears of a wider conflict. As the death toll continues to rise, both sides have threatened to unleash even greater force. At least 14 people have been confirmed dead in Israel. Iranian state media announced on Sunday that the death toll of Israel's attacks on Iran had climbed to 224 since Friday, adding that the majority were civilians. For the first time, Iran also launched a daytime barrage against Israel. At least one of the missiles launched on Sunday evening hit a building in the coastal city of Haifa, injuring four people, bringing the number of wounded across the country to 15. Israelis have now been told they can leave shelters, after the missile attack caused several light injuries and damage in both the north and south of the country. In Iran, images from the capital showed the night sky lit up by a huge blaze at a fuel depot after Israel began strikes against its oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, US-Iran nuclear talks were called off on Sunday, and a US official says that President Donald Trump has rejected a plan by the Israelis to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
France ‘stands with Harvard' and offers to welcome foreign students
'We stand with universities facing the threat of government control, restriction to their funding, constraints on their curricula or research projects,' Jean-Noël Barrot said during a commencement address at the high-profile HEC business school in Paris. 'We stand with Harvard faculty, with Harvard students, facing unjustified stress and anxiety right now,' he added in English. 'Should US courts uphold decisions to ban international students, France will offer a safe place to complete their degrees,' he said. Universities and research facilities in the United States have come under increasing political and financial pressure under Trump, including with threats of massive federal funding cuts. Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump's campaign against top American universities after it defied his calls to submit to oversight of its curriculum, staffing, student recruitment and 'viewpoint diversity'. A US court last week put a temporary stay on Trump's latest effort to stop foreign students from enrolling at Harvard, a day after a White House proclamation had sought to bar most new international students at Harvard from entering the country, and said existing foreign enrollees risked having their visas terminated. Advertisement The US government has already cut around $3.2 billion of federal grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and pledged to exclude the institution from future federal funding. France and the European Union are seeking to encourage disgruntled researchers to relocate from the United States to Europe. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said last month that the EU would launch a new incentives package worth €500 million to make the 27-nation bloc 'a magnet for researchers'. French President Emmanuel Macron in April unveiled plans for a funding programme to help national universities and other research bodies cover the cost of bringing foreign scientists to the country. READ ALSO : How easy is it to move to France as a researcher or scientist?✎
