Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a bold claim that killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would not escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but rather bring it to an end.
Speaking during an interview with American news outlet ABC News on Monday, Netanyahu dismissed the idea that targeting Iran’s top leader would provoke more violence. Instead, he argued that such an action would stop Iran’s aggressive influence across the region.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu said. He also suggested that past U.S. decisions, particularly under former President Donald Trump, to avoid striking Iranian leadership were mistaken.
Netanyahu blamed Iran for decades of unrest and violence in the region. “We’ve had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorises everyone in the Middle East,” he said. “What Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression.”
When asked directly if Israel plans to target Ayatollah Khamenei, Netanyahu refused to confirm or deny, saying, “I’m not going to get into the details,” but he hinted at past operations, such as assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. He compared Iran’s nuclear program to “Hitler’s nuclear team.”
This statement comes as fighting between Iran and Israel continues to escalate. On Monday, Iran fired another wave of missiles at northern Israel, leading to air raid sirens across the region. In response, Iranian state media warned of an even larger missile attack on Israeli soil.
As the two countries move closer to open conflict, Netanyahu insisted Israel would defend itself against what he called the “forces of evil.”
World leaders are closely watching the situation, fearing the crisis could grow into a wider regional war that pulls in other countries across the Middle East.
