Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to take out Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as it seeks to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.
During a Monday appearance on ABC News with host Jonathan Karl, he laid out the reasons why such a move might be necessary for eliminating the threat posed by the Iranian regime.
Karl brought up President Donald Trump’s opposition to killing the supreme leader and asked whether Netanyahu understands the concerns about a possible escalation.
“No, it’s not going to escalate the conflict. It’s going to end the conflict,” Netanyahu replied. “We’ve had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East, has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia, is spreading terrorism, subversion, and sabotage everywhere. That’s the forever war. That’s what Iran wants. They are bringing us to the brink of nuclear war.”
The host followed up by asking whether the prime minister believes targeting Khamenei would end the war.
Netanyahu reaffirmed that Israel wants to prevent an escalation and put an end to military hostilities. “In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this. We’re bringing an end to this aggression. And we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil. Look, democracies have had to learn this lesson. They’ve faced tyrannical regimes—radical, fanatic regimes—before,” he argued.
The prime minister continued: “For 40 years—for 40 years—I’ve been saying… actually, three years after the establishment of this radical Islamist Ayatollah regime in Tehran, I said the greatest danger not only to the survival of my country but to the peace of the world is Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. And they are on the brink of achieving that.”
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Netanyahu further claimed Iran is close to developing a nuclear weapon, which is why Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran have been necessary.
“So—imagine what they’re doing now without nuclear weapons—chanting ‘Death to America’ without nuclear weapons,” the prime minister said. “Imagine what will happen if they had nuclear weapons, and the ICBMs—the intercontinental ballistic missiles—to deliver them to every place on earth. We’re preventing the most horrific war imaginable. And we’re bringing peace to the Middle East.”
He added: “And I believe that after our action, we’re going to be able to bring the Middle East to new heights that nobody even imagined. You know—make the Middle East great again.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens to "take out" Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
— Jeff Charles, The Nullifier🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) June 17, 2025
"They are bringing us to the brink of nuclear war." pic.twitter.com/TJeiq7SbJ0
Netanyahu also stated that Israel has “targeted their top nuclear scientists,” which he referred to as “basically Hitler’s nuclear team.”
"Today, it's Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it's New York. Look, I understand 'America First'. I don't understand 'America Dead'. That's what these people want. They chant 'Death to America.' So we're doing something that is in the service of mankind, of humanity, and it's a battle of good against evil. America does, should, and does stand with the good. That's what President Trump is doing, And I deeply appreciate his support,” Netanyahu added.
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