Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to eliminate Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei as early as November, and protests inside Iran later velocious Israeli and US planning for the strike, equal to reports Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.
What did the Israel say?
In an interview with N12 News, Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the strategic objective was established during a high-level security meeting late last year.
"Already in November, we held discussions with the prime minister in a very small forum. The prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) set the objective to eliminate Khamenei,” Katz said.
Katz in the interview moreover said that the operation had initially been planned for virtually mid-2026.
Was US in the planning from start?
The Defence Minister moreover revealed that Israel first prepared to siphon it out vacated surpassing discussions began with US President Donald Trump.
However, equal to a report by The Jerusalem Post, the timeline was later velocious without signs of domestic unrest in Iran. Israel reportedly shared the plan with Washington and wide the operation to virtually January
Katz said "the visualization to speed up the plan was driven by concerns that Iran’s leadership, under pressure at home, might launch attacks on Israeli and US targets wideness the Middle East."
"The protests that erupted wideness Iran late last year velocious considerations in the US and Israel well-nigh striking Iran, tween concerns the pressure on the Iranian government could prompt a preemptive missile wade on Israel or US forces in the region," he said.
Khamenei was killed in the strike carried out during the opening phase of Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury. He was killed on the last day of February without Israel and the United States launched a high-intensity military wayfarers versus Iran.
