'Netanyahu set goal of killing Khamenei in November, protests sped up plans'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set the goal of assassinating Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei in November, and protests inside Iran later accelerated Israeli and US planning for the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in an interview.
“Already in November, we held discussions with the prime minister in a very small forum. The prime minister set the objective: to eliminate Khamenei,” Katz said in remarks aired by Israel’s Channel 12 television.
Katz said the operation had initially been planned for around mid-2026 and that Israel first prepared to carry it out alone before discussions began with US President Donald Trump.
He added that protests that erupted across Iran late last year accelerated considerations in the US and Israel about striking Iran, amid concerns the pressure on the Iranian government could prompt a preemptive missile attack on Israel or US forces in the region.
