Israel would have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the recent 12-day war if the opportunity had arisen, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

In an interview with Kan public television, Katz stated, “I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out.” He added, “We wanted to eliminate Khamenei, but there was no operational opportunity.”

According to Katz, Khamenei likely recognised the threat and went deep underground, severing contact with the new commanders who had replaced those killed by Israel.

According to the Associated Press, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking shelter in a secret location following Israel’s June 13 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which killed several senior commanders and scientists.

At the start of the conflict, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump hinted that Khamenei could be a direct target, as regime change was considered a possible outcome of the war.

The fighting concluded with a US-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday. Khamenei made his first public appearance on Thursday through a recorded video aired on Iranian state television, declaring victory over Israel and dismissing US involvement as ineffective.

“The Islamic Republic emerged victorious and delivered a harsh slap to America’s face,” he said, adding that the US “gained no achievements from this war.”

The White House dismissed Khamenei’s video message as an attempt to “save face,” with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters Thursday, “Any common sense, open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night—they were wildly successful.”

Source: India Today