Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday did not rule out plans to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it would “end the conflict” between the two arch-foes.
In a 20-minute interview with US network ABC News, the Israeli leader insisted his country’s deadly aggression to “defang” Iran was justified, and equated Khamenei to a “modern Hitler.”
But when asked about reports that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill the supreme leader out of concern it would escalate the Iran-Israel showdown, Netanyahu was dismissive.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” he said. “The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war,” Netanyahu said.
“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,” he added.
Netanyahu did not reveal whether or not Israel was targeting the ayatollah, saying only: “We’re doing what we need to do.”
As Israel unleashes its punishing strikes across Iran and the Islamic republic punches back with volleys of missiles, Netanyahu has maintained an aggressive posture.
In a bid to communicate with citizens of his country’s chief ally, the prime minister has sat for lengthy American media interviews twice in as many days, framing Israel’s conflict with Iran as “a battle of civilization against barbarism.”
Americans, he stressed Monday, should be deeply concerned both about Tehran’s efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon and its increasingly muscular ballistic missile capability. “Today it’s Tel Aviv, tomorrow it’s New York,” Netanyahu told ABC correspondent Jon Karl.
Netanyahu unleashed fierce criticism of Khamenei, blasting his “anti-Semitic, mad fanaticism” and his backing of proxy attacks meant to “snuff out the life” of Israel.
“He’s like a modern Hitler. He just will not stop, but we’re going to make sure that he doesn’t have the means to carry out his threats,” he said.
In defending Israel’s sweeping attacks, Netanyahu said setting back Iran’s nuclear program is “preventing the most horrific war imaginable and… bringing peace to the Middle East.” “That will be possible if Iran is defanged,” he added.
Iran seeks Gulf mediation for ceasefire
Tehran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press US President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran in return for Tehran’s flexibility in nuclear negotiations, two Iranian and three regional sources told Reuters on Monday.
Gulf leaders and their top diplomats worked the phones all weekend, speaking to each other, to Tehran, Washington and beyond in an effort to avoid a widening of the conflict as longstanding enemies Israel and Iran intensified their attacks in their biggest ever confrontation.
Iran is willing to be flexible in the nuclear talks if a ceasefire is reached, one of the Iranian sources said.
The Gulf States are deeply concerned the conflict will spin out of control, a Gulf source close to government officials told Reuters.
Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have all appealed to Washington to press Israel to agree to a ceasefire and to resume talks with Tehran towards a nuclear deal, the Gulf source said.
The White House and US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
