Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a direct threat against Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday after Iran bombed Israel’s largest hospital.
The war of words between the two nations has heated up as Israel continues airstrikes aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Katz told reporters that he has instructed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that Khamenei “should not continue to exist.”
"A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist," he told the Associated Press.
He stated that the IDF “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”
From Fox News:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a public address outside Soroka Hospital after it was struck by Iranian missile fire on Thursday.
Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the strike and also addressed President Donald Trump's debate over joining Israel in the conflict against Iran.
"President Trump will do what's best for America. I trust the president. I trust his judgement. He is a tremendous friend, a tremendous leader and a tremendous friend of the Jewish people," Netanyahu said.
"And we will do what we have to do, and we are doing it. We are committed to destroying the nuclear threat, the threat of nuclear annihilation, against Israel," he added.
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Iran launched a ballistic missile strike on Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba on Thursday, injuring about 40 patients and staff. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The hospital’s surgical wing had reportedly been evacuated.
Iranian officials claimed their target was supposed to be a nearby military facility, not the hospital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, saying it was carried out by “Iran’s terrorist tyrants” and vowed to retaliate.
"We target missiles, while they target hospitals. There’s a children’s and infants’ ward here. They are murderers who aim to annihilate every single one of us, down to the very last,” Netanyahu said while visiting the hospital after the attack.
Benjamin Netanyahu, near the hospital hit by an Iranian missile:
— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) June 19, 2025
"We target missiles, while they target hospitals. There’s a children’s and infants’ ward here. They are murderers who aim to annihilate every single one of us, down to the very last."
pic.twitter.com/hSfkSJuq0X
Earlier this week, Netanyahu threatened to assassinate Khamenei. “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,” he said during an interview on ABC News.
The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday carried out a targeted airstrike near a high-value underground bunker in eastern Tehran, the area where Khamenei is believed to be hiding out in a bunker. Israel has launched over 1,100 strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. Iran has launched over 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel in retaliation.
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