“Israel Would Have Killed Iran’s Supreme Leader If Given The Chance”
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has stated that his country would have assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the recent conflict if the chance had presented itself.
Speaking with Israel’s public radio, Kan, on Thursday evening, Katz said, “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out.”
He explained that despite intense efforts by Israeli forces to locate the Iranian leader, Khamenei had gone “very deep underground” and cut off communication with his commanders, making the operation unfeasible.
“Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, broke off contact with the commanders… so in the end it wasn’t realistic,” Katz said.
He added during a separate interview with Channel 13 that Israel had now halted its assassination plans following the ceasefire agreement.
“There is a difference between before the ceasefire and after the ceasefire,” he noted.
Katz had previously declared that Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist,” amid reports that the United States blocked Israel’s plan to eliminate the Iranian leader.
Warning Khamenei, Katz said, “He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker,” referring to Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a September 2024 Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Khamenei’s movements are heavily guarded and shrouded in secrecy, and he has not left Iran since taking power.
Katz maintained that Israel retains air superiority over Iran and remains ready to act again if necessary.
“We won’t let Iran develop nuclear weapons and threaten [Israel] with long-range missiles,” he said.
In another interview with Channel 12, he admitted Israel does not know the exact locations of all of Iran’s enriched uranium but insisted that recent airstrikes had significantly damaged Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“The material itself was not something that was supposed to be neutralised,” he said of the uranium.
While a leaked U.S. intelligence report suggested the strikes had set Iran’s nuclear ambitions back by only a few months, Katz and other officials have claimed the damage could take years to reverse.
The 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which began on June 13 and ended in a ceasefire on June 24, saw both nations claim victory.
Israel said its campaign was aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear weapons programme — an accusation Iran has repeatedly denied.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
