Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has confirmed that Israel considered assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the recent air conflict between the two nations, but the plan was never carried out due to security limitations.
Speaking to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on Thursday, Katz revealed that the Israeli military had actively searched for an opportunity to target Khamenei during the 12-day conflict earlier this month. “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said. “Khamenei understood this, went very deep underground, and broke off contact with his commanders. In the end, it wasn’t realistic.”
The Defence Minister added that the assassination attempts would not continue now that a ceasefire has taken hold. “There is a difference between before the ceasefire and after the ceasefire,” he told Channel 13 in a separate interview.
Katz previously declared during the air campaign that Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist,” amid reports that Washington had vetoed Israeli plans to assassinate the Iranian leader. On Thursday, Katz appeared to echo that sentiment, warning Khamenei to remain hidden. “He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker,” Katz said, referencing former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in a 2024 Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
The supreme leader of Iran, who has not left the country since taking power in 1989, is known for maintaining an extremely tight security perimeter. His movements are rarely disclosed publicly, making him a difficult target.
Katz also claimed that Israel had retained aerial dominance throughout the conflict and was prepared to resume military action if necessary. “We won’t let Iran develop nuclear weapons and threaten Israel with long-range missiles,” he said, though he acknowledged that Israel does not know the location of all of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles.
Despite this, Katz insisted that Israeli airstrikes had destroyed Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure. “The material itself was not something that was supposed to be neutralised,” he said, suggesting the focus was on the facilities rather than the stockpiled uranium.
The extent of the damage remains a matter of debate. A leaked U.S. intelligence assessment suggested that Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by only a few months, while Israeli officials claim the impact could take years to reverse.
The air war, which erupted on June 13, ended with a ceasefire on June 24. Both nations have claimed victory, but the future of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional stability remains uncertain.
