Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, as a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards,” referring to the elite military force leading Tehran’s attacks in the ongoing conflict.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Netanyahu claimed that Khamenei has avoided public appearances and suggested he may have been wounded in an Israeli strike.
The Israeli leader also indicated that further targeted operations against Iranian figures are possible, stressing that Israel would not hesitate to take action to protect its interests. He suggested that the current military campaign, conducted alongside the United States, could eventually weaken the Iranian leadership and create conditions for change, while emphasising that any political shift would ultimately depend on the Iranian people.
Netanyahu reiterated that the objective of Israel’s strikes is to deliver “lethal blows” to Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes and to prevent the country from concealing these activities in underground facilities. He further stated that a senior Iranian nuclear scientist had been killed during the conflict, without providing additional details.
The remarks come shortly after Khamenei issued his first statement as supreme leader, vowing revenge for victims of the war and calling for retaliation against the United States and Israel.
