Illustrative image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
Israel wanted to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during its 12-day war with Iran, but the opportunity never presented itself, Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed in several separate interviews aired on June 26.
“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz told Channel 13, adding that Israel “searched a lot” for Khamenei but that the operational opportunity did not arise.
The minister made similar comments in interviews with Kan and Channel 12, adding that Israel had an “enforcement policy” that involved maintaining aerial superiority over Iran and ensuring, via strike if necessary, that the country does not restart its nuclear or missile programs.
He also conveyed that Israel didn’t know the location of all of Iran’s enriched uranium, and that it did not go into the war knowing the United States would join the attack.
Israel started the war on June 13, stating that its goal was to cripple Iran’s nuclear program. A ceasefire was suddenly announced on June 24, just two days after the U.S. joined the war by attacking three key nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.
Katz said in the interviews that Khamenei had been marked for death, but that Israel was unable to locate him once he hid in a bunker.
“Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, broke off contact with the commanders… so in the end it wasn’t realistic,” the minister told Kan.
Israel killed more than 30 senior Iranian military commanders during the war, and was able to assassinate at least 11 of the Islamic Republic’s top nuclear scientists.
Katz told Channel 13 that Israel is no longer looking to assassinate Khamenei as a ceasefire with Iran is currently in place.
“There’s a difference — before the ceasefire, after the ceasefire,” the minister said.
Nevertheless, in the interview with Kan, he issued another threat to Khamenei, comparing him to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah who was killed by Israel last year, and advised him to remain in a bunker.
“I wouldn’t recommend that he stay tranquil,” Katz said. “He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker. I recommend that he do the same thing.”
Notably, Katz appeared to imply in the interviews that Israel maintained air superiority over Iran and would attack again if it deems it necessary.
“We won’t let Iran develop nuclear weapons and threaten long-range missiles,” he told Channel 12.
Meanwhile, he told Channel 13 that “the policy of the State of Israel and the government of Israel is to implement enforcement actions against Iran.” He added that the policy would be “like in Lebanon,” where Israel continued to launch strikes against Hezbollah post a ceasefire brokered by the U.S., “just times 100.”
The success of the Israeli attack on Iran is still in debate, with some reports suggesting that it set Iran’s nuclear program back by several years, or just a few months.
One thing is sure, however, and that is that the short war was just the first round of larger confrontation that could go on for years.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
notice israel kills people who are rational and never surrender…leaving behind irrational types to justify war mongering. raisi, abdollahian, nasrallah, haniyeh, soleimani….were rational men who did not surrender. israel is only creating new generations of fighters. maybe this is the strategy of the jew. their life story afterall is kvetching and playing victim
the arrogance is amazing. these people routinely murder negotiators, then call for further negotiations, and complain when iran declines to take part. goy whore chumpo casually threatens to murder khamenei like his joo masters, and expects him to take part in further talks.
they are now installing shah pahlavi.
shah pahlavi is in the ussa. operation “risng lion” was a failure
and together with putler and sultan erdogan, he puts people like jolani.
turkey and azerbaijan cannot be trusted
look, you russians betrayed syria and sold it to trump for parts of ukraine.
therefore, iran will fall sooner or later.
iran is not negotiable