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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would not escalate the conflict but rather bring it to an end, amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict — it’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu told ABC News. “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.”
Asked whether Israel intends to target Khamenei directly, Netanyahu declined to give a definitive answer but said, “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.”
Earlier reports suggested that former U.S. President Donald Trump had vetoed a previous Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei — a claim neither government has officially confirmed.
The U.S. State Department on Monday updated its travel advisory for Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza, citing increased security risks and warning Americans against travel to the region.
Tensions have surged since Friday when Israel launched large-scale coordinated airstrikes and drone attacks on multiple Iranian cities, including military and nuclear sites. Tehran responded with ballistic missile attacks targeting several Israeli locations.
Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the Iranian strikes.
Iran, meanwhile, reported at least 224 killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the Israeli assault.
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