Netanyahu says targeting Khamenei would end, not escalate, Israel-Iran conflict

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on June 16 that targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would “end, not escalate,” the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, which erupted late last week.

When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports that US President Donald Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei, fearing it would worsen the conflict, Netanyahu said: “It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict," Caliber.Az quotes.

“We've had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East; has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia; is spreading terrorism and subversion and sabotage everywhere,” Netanyahu said. “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.”

When asked directly if Israel would target Khamenei, Netanyahu responded: “We're doing what we need to do. I'm not going to get into the details, but we've targeted their top nuclear scientists. It's basically Hitler's nuclear team.”

The Israeli prime minister also outlined three key objectives for the military operation as the elimination of the nuclear program, the destruction of ballistic missiles and the fight against the "axis of terror."

He said Israel would do “everything necessary to achieve these goals” and suggested that regime change in Iran could result from the operation. He added that regime change in Iran could emerge as a result of the ongoing operation, drawing parallels to the fall of the Soviet Union and the potential collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.

Karl noted that Netanyahu and Trump seemed to disagree over whether Israel should target Khamenei. Netanyahu replied: “I wouldn't rush to conclusions.”

He further argued that the United States should view Israel’s fight as part of a shared struggle.

"We're not just fighting our enemy. We're fighting your enemy. For God's sake, they chant, "death to Israel, death to America." We're simply on their way. And this could reach America soon," Netanyahu said.

By Sabina Mammadli