Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a circuit of interviews aired Thursday evening that Israel sought to eliminate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during its 12-day conflict with Iran, but the opportunity never presented itself.
“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz told Channel 13, adding that Israel “searched a lot” for Khamenei but that the operational opportunity did not arise.
The minister made similar comments in interviews with Kan and Channel 12, in which he also said that Israel had an “enforcement policy” that involved maintaining aerial superiority over Iran and ensuring, via airstrikes if necessary, that the country does not restart its nuclear or long-range missile programs.
He also conveyed that Israel didn’t know the location of all of Iran’s enriched uranium, and that it did not go into the war knowing the US would join the attack.
Katz said in the interviews that the Iranian leader had been marked for death, but that Israel was unable to locate him once he hid in a bunker: “Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, broke off contact with the commanders… so in the end it wasn’t realistic,” Katz told Kan.
Asked whether Israel had sought American approval for such an action, Katz told Channel 13: “We don’t need permission for these things.”
However, just a few days later, Trump changed his stance, stating that pursuing regime change would not be a wise course of action.
During the conflict, Katz was outspoken about targeting Khamenei, describing the supreme leader as a “modern Hitler” who “cannot be allowed to survive.” He told Kan that Israel’s objective was not regime change but rather to “disrupt the regime during the operation and apply pressure on the Iranians.”
However, in an interview with Channel 13 on Thursday, Katz stated that Israel would no longer pursue Khamenei’s assassination following the ceasefire that came into effect two days earlier.
“There is a clear distinction — before the ceasefire and after it,” he explained. Yet, in his remarks to Kan, he still issued a warning to Khamenei, likening him to Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader Israel eliminated last year, and advised him to stay cautious.
“I wouldn’t advise him to remain calm,” Katz warned. “He should take a lesson from the late Nasrallah, who spent a long time hiding deep in a bunker. I suggest he follow that example.”
He said the policy would be “like in Lebanon” — where Israel has targeted Hezbollah’s attempts to rearm — “just times 100.”
Speaking to Channel 12, Katz said Israel launched the war on June 13 without knowing whether Trump would participate in the offensive. However, he noted that Israel was confident the US would assist in defending the country.
“In defense, we knew they [the US] were with us — and they did an amazing job,” Katz said.
In various interviews, Katz was also questioned about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where seven soldiers were recently killed in an attack. He emphasized that he would not allow the situation to turn into a prolonged “war of attrition.” Instead, he insisted that the conflict must conclude with the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military and administrative structures, along with the safe return of the 50 remaining hostages.
