'Israel would have killed Iran's Khamenei if given opportunity'
JERUSALEM: Defence Minister Israel Katz told media that Israel would have killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the war between the two countries if the opportunity had presented itself.
"If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out," Katz told Israel's public radio station Kan yesterday evening, adding that the military had "searched a lot".
"Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, broke off contact with the commanders... so in the end it wasn't realistic," Katz told Kan.
He told Israeli television Channel 13 yesterday that Israel would cease its assassination attempts because "there is a difference between before the ceasefire and after the ceasefire".
Katz had said during the war that Khamenei "can no longer be allowed to exist", just days after reports that Washington vetoed Israeli plans to assassinate him.
But on Kan, Katz advised Khamenei to remain inside a bunker.
"He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker", he said, referring to Lebanese group Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who Israel killed in a Beirut airstrike in September 2024.
The movements of the supreme leader, who has not left Iran since he took power, are subject to the tightest security and secrecy.
Katz said yesterday that Israel maintained its aerial superiority over Iran and that it was ready to strike again.
"We won't let Iran develop nuclear weapons and threaten (Israel) with long-range missiles," he said.
In his Channel 12 interview, Katz admitted that Israel does not know the location of all of Iran's enriched uranium, but that its airstrikes had destroyed the Islamic republic's uranium enrichment capabilities.
"The material itself was not something that was supposed to be neutralised," he said of the enriched uranium.
The impact of Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear programme has been a subject to debate.
A leaked US intelligence assessment estimated the programme to have set Iran back a few months, while Katz and other Israeli and US public figures said the damage would take years to rebuild.
Israel and Iran each claimed victory in a 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire on June 24.
The war erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a bombing campaign that it said aimed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- an ambition Iran has consistently denied.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Israel would have killed Iran's Khamenei if given chance: minister
JERUSALEM: Defence Minister Israel Katz told media that Israel would have killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the war between the two countries if the opportunity had presented itself. 'If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,' Katz told Israel's public radio station Kan Thursday evening, adding that the military had 'searched a lot'. 'Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, broke off contact with the commanders... so in the end it wasn't realistic,' Katz told Kan. He told Israeli television Channel 13 Thursday that Israel would cease its assassination attempts because 'there is a difference between before the ceasefire and after the ceasefire'. Katz had said during the war that Khamenei 'can no longer be allowed to exist', just days after reports that Washington vetoed Israeli plans to assassinate him. But on Kan, Katz advised Khamenei to remain inside a bunker. 'He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker', he said, referring to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who Israel killed in a Beirut air strike in September 2024. The movements of the supreme leader, who has not left Iran since he took power, are subject to the tightest security and secrecy. Katz said Thursday that Israel maintained its aerial superiority over Iran and that it was ready to strike again. 'We won't let Iran develop nuclear weapons and threaten (Israel) with long-range missiles', he said. In his Channel 12 interview, Katz admitted that Israel does not know the location of all of Iran's enriched uranium, but that its air strikes had destroyed the Islamic republic's uranium enrichment capabilities. 'The material itself was not something that was supposed to be neutralised,' he said of the enriched uranium. The impact of Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear programme has been a subject to debate. A leaked US intelligence assessment estimated the programme to have set Iran back a few months, while Katz and other Israeli and US public figures said the damage would take years to rebuild. Israel and Iran each claimed victory in a 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire on June 24. The war erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a bombing campaign that it said aimed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- an ambition Iran has consistently denied.
Borneo Post
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TEHRAN: Iran will hold what it described as "historic" funeral proceedings in Tehran on Saturday for 60 killed in its 12-day war with Israel, including top military commanders and nuclear scientists. The commemorations will begin at 0800 local time (0430 GMT) at Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran, followed by a funeral procession to Azadi (Freedom) Square, about 11 kilometres (7 miles) away. "A brief ceremony will be held there, then the processions of the martyrs will go toward Azadi Square," said Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran's Islamic Development Coordination Council, in a televised interview Friday. "Tomorrow will be a historic day for Islamic Iran and the revolution," he added. Among the dead is General Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the second-in-command of the armed forces after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, all killed in an Israeli attack. Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also killed in the attacks, will be buried with his wife. Four women and four children are among those to be honoured at the funeral ceremony. The war erupted on June 13 when Israel launched strikes that it said were aimed at halting Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – a charge Tehran denies. Israeli strikes killed at least 30 top commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to local media, including its commander-in-chief Hossein Salami and the head of its aerospace forces, Amirali Hajizadeh, who oversaw the country's ballistic missile programme. So far, there is no indication that Khamenei will attend the funeral on Saturday. He has previously attended ceremonies for high-ranking Iranian authorities, including late president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last year. The Iranian health ministry says at least 627 civilians were killed and nearly 4,900 wounded in the Israeli attacks.
