Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would end, not escalate, the conflict between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week.
In an interview with ABC News, responding to a question from Jonathan Karl about reports that former US President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei out of fear that it would further worsen the situation, Netanyahu said:
“It would not escalate the conflict. It would end it.”
“For half a century, this regime has been spreading conflict, terrorizing the entire Middle East, bombing Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and spreading terrorism, sabotage and subversion wherever it goes,” Netanyahu said. “Perpetual war is what Iran wants, they are leading us towards a nuclear conflict. Israel is trying to stop that and the only way to stop them is to confront them directly.”
When asked if Israel was indeed planning to target Iran’s supreme leader, Netanyahu said that “Israel is doing what it has to do,” adding that they had already targeted top Iranian nuclear scientists.
“These are essentially Hitler’s nuclear scientists,” the Israeli prime minister said.
He said it was in the interest of the United States to support Israel’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
“Today, the target is Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it could be New York. I understand the ‘America First’ policy. But I don’t understand ‘America Dead.’ That’s what they want. They are shouting ‘Death to America.’ What we are doing is in the service of humanity. It is a fight between good and evil. America stands, should and must stand with good. That’s what President Trump is doing, and I sincerely appreciate his support,” Netanyahu concluded.
