Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, as a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards,” intensifying rhetoric amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran.
Speaking at a press conference late Thursday, Netanyahu said the cleric could not appear publicly, adding that Khamenei is believed to have been wounded during an Israeli strike inside Iran.
Khamenei, the son of the late former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was selected as Iran’s new leader earlier this month following his father’s reported death during the early stage of the war.
Netanyahu also hinted that further assassination attempts against Israel’s adversaries were possible, saying he would not “take out life insurance” for those threatening the country.
According to him, Israel’s ongoing strikes in Iran could create conditions for the collapse of the Islamic Republic’s ruling system, though he noted that such a development would ultimately depend on the Iranian people.
“I say to the Iranian people: the moment when you can walk out into freedom is drawing ever closer,” Netanyahu said.
He reiterated that the main objective of the war—launched with the United States nearly two weeks ago—is to deliver “lethal blows” to Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes and prevent the leadership in Tehran from concealing those activities in underground facilities.
Netanyahu also claimed that Israeli forces had killed a senior Iranian nuclear scientist during the conflict but did not disclose further details.
Earlier on Thursday, Khamenei vowed revenge for victims of the war in his first statement since assuming office on March 8. The message was delivered by a news anchor on Iranian state television.
