From ABC News: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week.
When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports from ABC News and other outlets that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, concerned that it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu said, “It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict.”
“We’ve had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East; has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia; is spreading terrorism and subversion and sabotage everywhere,” Netanyahu said. “The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. 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.”
Asked if Israel would indeed target the supreme leader, Netanyahu said that Israel was “doing what we need to do.”
WATCH BELOW:
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (PA) said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon that he agrees Israel should take out Khamenei.
Fetterman told the Washington Free Beacon Israel should use its successful campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon—which culminated with the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah—as a model for how to deal with Iran.
“Yes, just like Nasrallah,” Fetterman replied when asked whether the Jewish state should target Khamenei. “In fact, it should have been when Israel began to dismantle Iran.”
“Time’s up on Iran’s evil regime and its nuclear weapons program. 🇮🇱,” Fetterman wrote on X Monday afternoon.
Time’s up on Iran’s evil regime and its nuclear weapons program. 🇮🇱
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 16, 2025
Fetterman Urges Israel To Take Out the Ayatollah: ‘No Mercy’https://t.co/r3WRJIHQze
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) June 16, 2025
Khamenei just posted a defiant message and a creepy image on X Monday, as he claims “Allah” will help Iran “triumph over the Zionist regime.”
“Help from Allah and an imminent conquest” (Holy Quran: 61:13).
The Islamic Republic will triumph over the Zionist regime by the will of God. pic.twitter.com/sUZvapaV4G
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 16, 2025
Below is the entire video with Netanyahu on Monday:
READ MORE from ABC News.
