The Iran-Israel war escalated sharply when Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz directly threatened Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei, calling him a “modern-day Hitler” who “must cease to exist.”
By issuing these remarks as Iran launched missile strikes, Katz signalled Israel’s growing readiness to target Iran’s top leaders while regional chaos grows.
Khamenei Compared to Hitler
Speaking to reporters in Holon after an Iranian missile struck the area, Katz said Israel refuses to tolerate Khamenei, who openly aims to destroy the country. “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,” Katz said.
Katz explained that Israel had prepared an assassination mission earlier. However, the United States blocked it. “We would have sent the IDF, extracted him, and eliminated him,” Katz added. He called Khamenei “the modern Hitler.” Katz also accused Khamenei of draining Iran’s resources to fuel his war against Israel.
“He mobilises all available resources, even at the expense of his people, for this purpose,” Katz said. He pointed to missile strikes on hospitals and residential buildings, arguing these attacks reflect Khamenei’s deliberate mission. “These are not statistical deviations; this is his strategy,” Katz emphasised.
Threats of Assassination Intensify
Katz made it clear that eliminating Khamenei now stands as a key Israeli objective. “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 asserted.
The Iran-Israel crisis has reached its seventh day. It escalated after Israel launched ‘Operation Rising Lion,’ targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites. Iran retaliated with a barrage of missile strikes, including one that damaged a hospital in Tel Aviv. In response, Khamenei vowed to “punish the Zionist regime” for attacking Tehran.
As both sides escalate, the prospect of direct strikes on leaders like Khamenei pushes the conflict into far more dangerous territory.
