Netanyahu does not rule out assassinating Khamenei: "All options are on the table"

Israel has admitted that it seeks to overthrow the Iranian regime by "destabilizing it," Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said Thursday morning, following an Iranian missile attack that targeted various areas in Israel, including Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

During his visit to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, adding, "All options are on the table, but it's best not to discuss it in the media." Regarding the United States joining the war, he said, "It depends on President Donald Trump."

Israeli Defense Minister Katz also threatened that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, "will pay the price for his crimes," adding that "the Iranian tyrant launched guided missiles at hospitals and residential buildings in Israel," calling it "one of the most serious war crimes."

Katz continued, "We have instructed the Israeli military to intensify strikes against strategic targets in Iran, and against regime sites in Tehran, with the aim of removing threats to Israel and destabilizing the regime" in Iran. Katz reiterated his threats to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Later, Katz told reporters in Holon, "The existence of a regime like Khamenei's is very dangerous. Its ideology aims to destroy Israel, and it continually invests all of its state's resources to achieve this goal." He added, "Such a person cannot be allowed to remain."

For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "The terrorist tyrants in Iran fired missiles this morning at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at civilians in central Israel," adding, "We will exact the full price from the rulers of Tehran."

Following the launch of the aggressive war against Iran early last Friday, Netanyahu publicly stated that the overthrow of the Iranian regime would be a result of Israeli military operations. As part of this escalating war, Israel seeks to create chaos within Iran through various operations.

For his part, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that "the Iranian regime launched a ballistic missile toward a hospital, deliberately targeting civilians," according to his claims, adding that the regime in Tehran "is committing war crimes without any red lines. We have taken that into account."

For his part, Health Minister Uriel Buso described the rocket fire at Soroka Hospital as "an act of terrorism, a crossing of a red line, and a war crime that deliberately targeted innocent civilians and medical personnel." He said his ministry had prepared in advance, averting a major disaster.

This attack, according to the Israeli account, comes after approximately 30 rockets were launched from Iran on Thursday morning. Several of them landed in Beersheba, where Soroka Hospital was directly hit; in Holon, where a residential building was damaged; and in Ramat Gan, where the Stock Exchange neighborhood was hit. Rocket hits were also reported in Bat Yam and Ariel. The reported toll of injuries is at least 137, including six serious cases.

Israeli Transportation Minister and member of the political-security cabinet, Miri Regev, said, "It is time to plunge Tehran into darkness," as she put it, adding, "The Iranian regime is receiving severe blows, and the Israeli army is striking hard at the heart of Iran, causing significant damage to its nuclear infrastructure, missile factories, and command headquarters."

These Israeli statements come amid Israel's escalating targeting of medical facilities in its aggressive operations in the region, particularly in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has almost completely destroyed the healthcare system, rendering most hospitals out of service, and targeting medical personnel and patients, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

In this context, Israel is seeking to capitalize on the Soroka Hospital attack to promote its narrative of what it describes as "Iranian attacks on civilians." Foreign Minister Sa'ar has issued directives to establish a special media room within the hospital, dedicated to addressing foreign media.

According to an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will set up a media operations room at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba "to expose the Iranian regime's deliberate attack on the hospital and civilians in Israel." The statement added that this step is being implemented "in cooperation with the Government Press Office, the Ministry of Health, and the hospital administration."

"The main target of the attack was the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) C4I command and intelligence base and the army's intelligence camp in the Gav Yam technological complex, near Soroka Hospital," Iran's official news agency IRNA reported, adding that the hospital "was only hit by the blast... The direct and precise target" was the military facility.