Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'can't continue to exist': Israel defence minister
The Israeli minister added that Khamenei has used its ideological influence and called for the destruction of the state of Israel.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has likened Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to a modern-day Hitler. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the defence minister made these remarks during a visit to Holon, where an Iranian missile made an impact.
“A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of the State of Israel his declared goal, this horrific goal of destroying Israel, cannot be allowed to continue or materialise,” he told the media.
The Israeli defence minister added that the IDF is capable of finding Khamenei and eliminating him. According to reports, the US had previously vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei.
“We would have sent the IDF, extracted him, and eliminated him. And just like that, correspondingly, I see the current situation — Khamenei is the modern Hitler," Katz added further.
The Israeli minister added that Khamenei has used its ideological influence and called for the destruction of the state of Israel. Follow LIVE updates on Iran-Israel war here
"He mobilises all available resources, even at the expense of his own people, for this purpose. And today we see proof that he is personally giving the order to fire on hospitals and residential buildings. These [repeated missiles strikes on civilian targets] are not a statistical deviation that can be explained away — he sees this as part of the mission to destroy the State of Israel," Katz was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.
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Katz further added that the objectives of the conflict with Iran are to remove nuclear threat, eliminate sources of destruction and neutralise the threats from missiles.
"Within this framework, the IDF has been instructed and knows that to achieve all the objectives, without question this man should no longer continue to exist," he added.
Iran-Israel conflict enters Day 7
The conflict between Iran and Israel has entered day 7. The tensions between the two nations escalated after Israel launched a military strike ‘Operation Rising Lion’ on June 13, targeting Iranian military bases and nuclear sites.
On Day seven, Israel vowed to intensify its response after Iran launched a barrage of missiles towards Tel Aviv, striking a hospital in the midst of the attack.
Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei has also vowed to strengthen its response and “punish the Zionist regime” for its attack on Tehran.
