‘Khamenei Shouldn’t Continue To Exist’: Israeli Minister’s Stark Warning to Iran’s Leader
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, issued an unprecedented and direct threat against Iran’s Supreme Leader on Thursday, declaring that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “shouldn’t continue to exist.” The stark warning came hours after an Iranian missile strike hit a major hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, dramatically escalating the seven-day-old war between the two nations.
The Iranian ballistic missile barrage struck Soroka Hospital early on Thursday, causing extensive damage and injuring at least 40 people. While Iran claimed its target was a nearby military and intelligence base, the attack on a civilian medical facility drew swift and furious condemnation from Israel.
“Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed — he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal,” Defence Minister Katz told reporters in Holon. “A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist,” he asserted. Katz added ominously that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed retaliation, stating, “We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price for this criminal attack.”
This direct threat to eliminate Iran’s head of state marks a significant turning point in the conflict. It comes just days after US officials reportedly told media that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei. Trump himself later said there were no current plans to target the leader, “at least not for now.”
The war of words has been matched by devastating military action. The death toll from Israeli strikes across Iran since Friday has reportedly surpassed 600, according to human rights groups. In response, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, killing at least 24 people.
The escalating conflict has triggered global alarm. On Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei rejected President Trump’s demand for an “unconditional surrender,” warning that any direct US military intervention would be met with a crushing response. The international community continues to call for de-escalation as fears of a full-blown regional war continue to mount.
