Tel Aviv: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has issued a direct threat to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if Tehran continues to endanger Israel’s security.
The statement was made during Katz’s visit to Ramon Air Force Base on Sunday, July 27, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar.
“I want to send a clear message to dictator Khamenei: If you continue to threaten Israel, our long arm will reach out to Iran again, with greater force — and this time it will reach you personally,” Katz wrote on X.
“Do not threaten us, or you will be harmed,” he added.
Katz has made similar remarks in recent weeks amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. On Thursday, July 10, while addressing a pilot graduation ceremony, he declared, “This ceremony is a direct message to dictator Khamenei and the gang of ayatollahs in Iran: Israel’s long arm will catch up with you in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and wherever you attempt to endanger us. There is nowhere to hide. If we must return, we will do so with even greater force.”
In an earlier statement on June 17, Katz warned Khamenei he could “end up like Saddam Hussein,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
The threats come in the wake of a 12-day conflict that began on June 13, involving Israeli strikes on Iranian sites, Iranian retaliation, and US intervention, before a ceasefire took effect on June 24.
