By M10News International Desk | © M10News 2025
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has revealed that Israel actively sought to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the recent war between the two countries but failed to locate him.
Speaking to Israel’s public radio station Kan on Thursday evening, Katz confirmed that Israeli forces “searched a lot” for Khamenei and would have killed him if the opportunity had presented itself.
“If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said, adding that Khamenei “understood this” and retreated deep underground, severing contact with military commanders, making the assassination unfeasible.
Katz also spoke to Israeli television outlet Channel 13, stating that Israel has ceased assassination attempts following the ceasefire agreement. “There is a difference between before the ceasefire and after the ceasefire,” Katz remarked.
During the height of the conflict, Katz had openly called for Khamenei’s elimination, stating the supreme leader “can no longer be allowed to exist.” Those remarks followed reports that Washington had vetoed Israeli plans to assassinate Khamenei to avoid further escalation.
Despite the failed attempt, Katz issued a stark warning on Kan, advising Khamenei to remain hidden. “He should learn from the late Nasrallah, who sat for a long time deep in the bunker,” Katz said, referring to former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut in September 2024.
Khamenei, known for rarely appearing in public and never leaving Iran since coming to power, operates under intense security and secrecy.
Katz also asserted that Israel retains aerial superiority over Iran and remains prepared to launch future strikes if necessary. “We won’t let Iran develop nuclear weapons and threaten [Israel] with long-range missiles,” Katz declared.
In a separate interview with Channel 12, Katz acknowledged Israel does not know the location of all of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles. However, he claimed Israeli airstrikes during the war destroyed Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure.
“The material itself was not something that was supposed to be neutralised,” Katz said, referring to Iran’s existing enriched uranium reserves.
The actual impact of Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme remains contested. A leaked US intelligence report estimated the strikes set Iran’s atomic progress back by only a few months. In contrast, Katz and other officials maintain that he damage inflicted will take Iran years to rebuild.
The 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which ended with a ceasefire on 24 June, began on 13 June after Israel launched a bombing campaign aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — an allegation Iran has repeatedly denied.
Both countries have since claimed victory in the conflict, which marked one of the most direct military confrontations between the regional rivals in decades.
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