As tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News that he is not ruling out eliminating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Asked if Israel would indeed target Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu, in the interview, said that Israel was “doing” what it ”needs to do.”
Netanyahu said that targeting Khamenei would not escalate the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran, but would end it. Follow Iran Israel war live updates
ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl asked Netanyahu about media reports that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei, to which the Israeli PM responded saying, “It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict.”
“The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil,” he told the news outlet.
Responding to a question about whether Israel would target the Iranian supreme leader, Netanyahu said that his country was “doing what we need to do”. He further said, “I’m not going to get into the details, but we’ve targeted their top nuclear scientists,” adding that “it’s basically Hitler’s nuclear team”.
Two US officials had told news agency Reuters on Sunday that Trump had blocked an Israeli plan to kill Ayatollah. One of the sources had said, “Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.”
The officials reportedly said that Israeli authorities told the US side about an opportunity they had to eliminate the Iranian supreme leader, but Trump waved them off of the plot.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s statement comes just hours after Iran said that it was planning the “largest and most intense missile attack” Israel has ever seen.
Netanyahu also told ABC News that Iran is a “threat to the entire world”.
The Israeli PM also hailed Trump’s understanding of the need to stand up against evil. “Sometimes you have to take a stand against evil. And that’s what the American people instinctively understand. Most of them, I have to say. And that’s what President Trump understands. We cannot let that happen,” he stated.
Iran-Israel conflict
Amid the ongoing conflict, both Israel and Iran have been repeatedly warning each other of severe consequences. The two nations continued to trade fire for a fourth day on Monday.
Since Friday, at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,200 have been injured in the Israeli strikes on Iran, as per the country’s health ministry.
Menawhile, in Israeli, Iranian missile and drone strikes have claimed the lives of at least 24 people and injured 592 others, as per Netanyahu’s office.
