'I wouldn’t take out a life insurance policy': 'Netanyahu on possible strike on Iran’s Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there is no certainty that the Iranian public will rise against the government in Tehran even if Israel attempts to create conditions that make such a move possible. “There is no guarantee that the Iranian people will rise after Israel ‘creates the conditions’ for them to topple the regime in Tehran,” he said. “You can lead someone to water, you cannot make him drink,” says Netanyahu. “We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give them the space needed to take to the streets.”

When asked whether Israel would target Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Netanyahu responded cautiously. “I wouldn’t take out a life insurance policy on any of the leaders of the terror organizations.” Netanyahu also says Israel has “many surprises” planned as part of its ongoing campaign against Iran, adding that operations are progressing better than expected. The Israeli leader praises his relationship with Donald Trump amid the ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign targeting Iranian positions.

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We speak almost every day: Netanyahu on alliance with Trump

“We have created an alliance unlike any before with the United States, an alliance with our great friend, my personal friend, President Trump. We speak almost every day. We speak freely, exchange ideas and advice, and make decisions together,” Netanyahu said. He adds that the two leaders remain in constant communication. “He told me, ‘Our relationship is one hundred times stronger than any relationship that has existed between an American president and an Israeli prime minister. We are not thinking only about our countries, or only about this generation. We are thinking about future generations, about the future of humanity.’”

Netanyahu also says Israel is working to build new partnerships across the region during the conflict. “In these days, my team and I are weaving additional alliances with countries in the region, alliances that only a few weeks ago would have seemed unimaginable,” he said, without providing further details. During Trump’s first term, the United States brokered the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. Both leaders have repeatedly expressed hopes of expanding the agreements as part of a wider regional realignment.

Netanyahu also warned Lebanon that Israel may launch further action if the government does not curb the activities of Hezbollah. He says a ground operation could still be avoided if Lebanese authorities act against the group. “You committed, so take your fate into your own hands,” he said. “The time has come for you to do it.” “If they don’t, it’s clear to you that we will,” he continues. “How? On the ground, not on the ground, other things, I will not detail here. But I promise you, as I said, we will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah.”

Netanyahu adds that if Lebanon’s government “wants to save itself,” it should take part in efforts to disarm the group.

“If they don’t, we will have no choice but to do so in our own ways,” he said. The prime minister also vowed to protect Israeli communities along the northern border. “We will not abandon the residents of the north,” he said, adding that current discussions are focused on action rather than diplomacy alone. “I am holding discussions not for the sake of discussion, but discussions for the sake of action.”

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