Israel decided months in advance to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said the plan was first approved in November during a high-level government meeting.
Katz told Israel’s N12 television that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set the objective of eliminating Khamenei during a restricted security discussion late last year. The operation had initially been scheduled for mid-2026 but was later brought forward as tensions with Iran escalated.
Get the latest headlines in your email 
Khamenei was killed in the opening hours of the joint U.S.–Israeli air campaign launched last Saturday. The strike marked the first time a country’s top leader had been assassinated by an air attack, a move that dramatically intensified hostilities across the region.
Plan accelerated as tensions rose
According to Katz, Israel shared the plan with Washington after the decision was made. The timeline changed around January when protests erupted inside Iran and Israeli officials feared the country’s leadership might respond by launching attacks against Israeli or U.S. targets in the Middle East.
The military campaign has now entered its first week. Early strikes targeted senior Iranian political and military figures, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Tehran against Israel as well as American bases and allied states in the Gulf and Iraq.
Regional conflict widens
The conflict has also expanded beyond Iran and Israel. Israeli forces have carried out attacks against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, raising concerns that the fighting could spread further across the region.
Israeli leaders say the military campaign is aimed at removing what they describe as an existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear programme and its expanding ballistic missile arsenal. Officials have also suggested that regime change in Tehran is a possible outcome of the war.
So far, Iran’s clerical leadership has shown no indication it is willing to relinquish power despite mounting military pressure.
Join the discussion? 
Already a member? 
Adapted by ASEAN Now · Source · 05.03 2026
-
1