Iran’s Supreme Leader avoided assassination by going underground, says Israel
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Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addressing his nation on June 26.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Israeli Defence Minister Katz said Israel would have targeted Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei during their conflict if possible.
- Katz stated Khamenei went "underground" and cut contact with commanders to avoid being targeted by Israel.
- Israel killed top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists during the 12-day war, according to Katz.
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TEL AVIV – Israel would have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were it possible during the countries’ 12-day war, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on June 26.
“I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Mr Katz said in an interview with Israel’s Kan public television.
“But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn’t realistic in the end,” he said.
Israel killed several top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists on June 13 at the start of the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had both suggested at various times during the air war that Ayatollah Khamenei’s life could be in danger as regime change could be a result of the war that ended with a US-brokered ceasefire
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel would have “taken out” Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if it had the chance.
PHOTO: REUTERS
