Israel: We Would Have Eliminated Iran’s Supreme Leader If Given The Chance

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has revealed that the country had intentions to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the recent 12-day conflict between the two nations — but the opportunity never arose.

“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz told Israel’s public radio station Kan on Thursday evening. He added that Israeli intelligence and military forces had “searched a lot” but ultimately concluded it was not a feasible operation.

“Khamenei understood this, went deep underground, and cut off communications with military commanders. So in the end, it wasn’t realistic,” Katz said.

In a separate interview with Israeli Channel 13, Katz stated that Israel would no longer pursue such assassination efforts, citing the ceasefire that came into effect on June 24.

“There is a difference between before the ceasefire and after the ceasefire,” he explained.

Earlier in the war, Katz had declared that Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist,” following reports that the United States had blocked Israeli plans to target the Iranian leader. Despite the shift in strategy, Katz warned Khamenei to remain cautious.

“He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who spent years deep in a bunker,” Katz said on Kan, referencing former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a reported Israeli airstrike in Beirut in September 2024.

Ayatollah Khamenei, who has ruled Iran since 1989, is known for his extreme security measures and rarely appears in public, never having left Iran since taking power.

Katz also emphasized that Israel retains aerial dominance over Iranian airspace and is prepared to strike again if necessary.

“We will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons or threaten us with long-range missiles,” he told Channel 12.

While acknowledging that Israel does not have complete intelligence on the locations of all of Iran’s enriched uranium, Katz claimed Israeli airstrikes had destroyed Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure.

“The material itself wasn’t something we aimed to neutralise,” he said, referring to the enriched uranium stockpiles.

The effectiveness of Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program remains a matter of international debate. A leaked U.S. intelligence report estimated the damage would delay Iran’s nuclear progress by several months, while Katz and other officials argue the setbacks could take years to overcome.

Both Israel and Iran declared victory in the brief but intense war, which began on June 13 with an Israeli bombing campaign intended to prevent Iran from allegedly developing nuclear weapons — a claim Tehran has consistently denied.