Israel says it sought to kill Iran’s Khamenei during war but he hid underground

ANKARA

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army intended to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the recent 12-day war but the plan was ultimately unfeasible because Khamenei went into hiding deep underground.

Speaking in an interview with Israel's public broadcaster KAN on Thursday, Katz said: “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out.”

Katz added that Israel “searched a lot” for Khamenei but that the operational opportunity did not arise, adding that “Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, broke off contact with the commanders … so in the end it wasn’t realistic.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that he stay tranquil,” threatened Katz. “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.”

Hezbollah’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024.

During the early days of the recent conflict over Iran's nuclear program, Israel assassinated several senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists in airstrikes conducted on June 13.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump alluded during the exchange of airstrikes that Khamenei’s life could be at risk suggesting that “regime change” might be one of the war’s possible outcomes.

In his first televised address since the ceasefire, Khamenei on Thursday hailed Iran’s “victory” over Israel.

“With all that clamor, with all those claims, the Zionist regime, under the blows of the Islamic Republic, has almost collapsed and been crushed,” Khamenei said.

A 12‑day conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13 after Israel launched air strikes on Iranian military, nuclear and civilian sites, killing at least 606 people and injuring 5,332, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.

Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israel, killing at least 29 people and wounding more than 3,400, according to figures released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The US also bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

The conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday.