'No one is immune': Netanyahu hints at eliminating Khamenei, vows 'Tehran won't obtain a nuclear weapon'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “No one is immune,” and all the options are open, hinting that Israel might plan to target Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Netanyahu made the remarks on Thursday (June 19) from Soroka Hospital in southern Israel after an Iranian missile hit it.

“We are capable of eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat, and Tehran will not obtain anuclearweapon,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu says that US involvement in the war “is a decision for President Trump.”

“He will do what is good for America, and I will do what’s good for Israel,” adding that the US president “knows the game.”

He added, “At the end of this operation, there will be no nuclear threat on Israel, and there won’t be a ballistic threat.”

Dozens of people were injured in the strike on the Soroka Medical Centre, which Iran said targeted a command-and-control centre nearby.

Katz says Khamenei cannot be allowed to ‘continue to exist’

Earlier, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cannot be allowed to “continue to exist.”

Speaking to reporters, Katz compared Khamenei to the German dictator Adolf Hitler.

“A dictator like Khamenei, who’s heading a state like Iran, who set himself the goal of destroying the state of Israel… he can no longer continue to exist,” Katz said.

“Khamenei is the modern Hitler,” he added.

Israel-Iran war enters seventh day

Hostilities between Israel and Iran entered their seventh day on Thursday.

The latest round of hostilities began after a series of Israeli air raids on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure last week. Those initial strikes led to retaliatory action from Iran and a sharp increase in attacks across both sides.

According to official figures, over 200 people have died in Iran and 24 in Israel since the fighting began. The actual numbers may be higher, as the situation continues to develop rapidly.