Israel confirms plan to kill Ayatollah Khamenei during Iran conflict: 'Would have taken him out if...':
Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Thursday that his country would have killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were it possible during the 12-day war. But 'it wasn't realistic in the end,' he said.
"I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out," Katz said in the interview with Israel's Kan public television.
"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," Katz was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Katz reportedly reiterated that Israel actively searched for Khamenei throughout the war. 'We searched a lot,' he told Channel 13 as per the Times of India, explaining that Israel's goal was not regime change but to destabilise Iran's leadership and apply pressure mid-conflict.
When asked if Israel had sought US approval to target Khamenei, Katz said, 'We don't need permission for these things.'
US President Donald Trump had also threatened Khamenei's life during the conflict. On June 17, Trump wrote on social media: 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding… We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.' However, days later, Trump walked back the statement, saying regime change was not advisable.
Israel killed several top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists on June 13 at the start of the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump had both suggested at various times during the air war that Khamenei's life could be in danger as regime change could be a result of the war that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday.
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