Israel would have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were it possible during the countries’ 12-day war, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

“I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said in the interview with Israel’s Kan public television.

“But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn’t realistic in the end,” he said.

Reuters

Iran would respond to any future U.S. attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday, in his first televised remarks since a ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel, APA reports citing Reuters.

“The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face. It attacked one of the important American bases in the region,” Khamenei said.

“The U.S. President Trump unveiled the truth and made it clear that Americans won’t be satisfied with anything less than surrender… such an event will never happen,” Khamenei said.

“The fact that the Islamic Republic has access to important American centres in the region and can take action against them whenever it deems necessary is not a small incident, it is a major incident, and this incident can be repeated in the future if an attack is made,” he added.

Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week, APA reports citing Reuters.

The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the U.S. were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the U.S. attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear programme, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei avoided an assassination by going underground “to very great depths” during the 12-day war between the two countries, AFP reported.

A Hezbollah supporter holds a portrait of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a gathering outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 25, 2025.(AP)

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“I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” Katz said in an interview with Israel’s Kan public television.

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“But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn’t realistic in the end,” he said.

According to the Associated Press, Khamenei had not been seen in public since taking shelter in a secret location after the outbreak of the war on June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and killed several top Iranian commanders and scientists.

People walk next to a mural with a picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street, early hours of ceasefire, in Tehran, Iran, on June 24. (Reuters)

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{{^usCountry}} Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had hinted at different times during the air war that Khamenei’s life might be at risk, as the conflict could lead to “regime change”. The war between Israel and Iran ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24. {{/usCountry}}

{{#usCountry}} Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had hinted at different times during the air war that Khamenei’s life might be at risk, as the conflict could lead to “regime change”. The war between Israel and Iran ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24. {{/usCountry}}

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{{^usCountry}} A Reuters investigation, citing five sources with direct knowledge of succession planning, said that the 86-year-old Supreme Leader had gone into hiding with his family and was protected by the elite Vali-ye Amr unit of the Revolutionary Guards. {{/usCountry}}

{{#usCountry}} A Reuters investigation, citing five sources with direct knowledge of succession planning, said that the 86-year-old Supreme Leader had gone into hiding with his family and was protected by the elite Vali-ye Amr unit of the Revolutionary Guards. {{/usCountry}}

{{^usCountry}} Khamenei appeared publicly on Thursday after he spoke in a recorded video broadcast on Iranian state television, claiming victory in the war with Israel and saying the US’s intervention achieved nothing. {{/usCountry}}

{{#usCountry}} Khamenei appeared publicly on Thursday after he spoke in a recorded video broadcast on Iranian state television, claiming victory in the war with Israel and saying the US’s intervention achieved nothing. {{/usCountry}}

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“The Islamic Republic emerged victorious and delivered a harsh slap to America’s face”, he said in a pre-recorded video message, adding the US “gained no achievements from this war.”

The White House responded to Khamenei’s video message, saying that he was trying to “save face.”

“Any commonsense, open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “They were wildly successful.”

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has revealed that the country would have attempted to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the recent 12-day war between the two nations—had the opportunity presented itself.

In a televised interview with Israel’s Kan public broadcaster on Thursday, Katz stated, “I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out.”

The minister explained that Khamenei likely understood the danger and took extensive measures to protect himself. “He went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn’t realistic in the end,” Katz said.

The conflict, which erupted on June 13 and concluded with a US-brokered ceasefire earlier this week, saw Israel carry out precision strikes that reportedly killed several senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists. The war marked one of the most intense escalations between the long-standing adversaries, with both sides trading threats and military action.

Throughout the conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump hinted that regime change in Tehran could be on the table. Both men had publicly suggested that Khamenei’s life could be at risk, raising the stakes of the confrontation.

Though the war has now paused, the revelation of an assassination plan targeting Iran’s top leader underlines the depth of the hostilities—and the calculated limits both nations observed to avoid an all-out regional war.

Melissa Enoch

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