Israeli Defense Chief: Khamenei Assassination Planned Since November

Israel's Defense Minister revealed that the decision to eliminate Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was made in November, with the operation originally scheduled for mid-2026. The timeline was accelerated following Iranian protests, and Khamenei was killed in the opening hours of a joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign that began Saturday.

JERUSALEM – Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed Thursday that his country made the determination to eliminate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei back in November, with plans to execute the mission approximately six months down the road.

The Iranian leader was eliminated during the opening hours of a combined U.S.-Israeli aerial operation that commenced Saturday, marking the first time a nation’s highest leader has been assassinated via airstrike.

The collaborative military offensive is approaching the conclusion of its initial week following opening strikes that eliminated the nation’s leadership and triggered a broader regional conflict, featuring Iranian strikes on Israel, the Gulf region and Iraq, along with Israeli operations targeting Iran’s partner Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Already in November we were convened with the prime minister in a very tight forum and the prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) set the goal of eliminating Khamenei,” Katz stated during an interview with Israel’s N12 TV news. He indicated the original timeframe was established for mid-2026.

According to Katz, the strategy was ultimately coordinated with Washington and moved up to around January following the outbreak of demonstrations in Iran, when Israel grew worried that the pressured religious leadership might initiate an assault on Israeli and American interests throughout the Middle East.

Israeli officials have stated their objective is to remove what they perceive as an existential danger from Iran’s atomic weapons program and missile development capabilities, while also seeking to achieve governmental transformation. Iran’s leadership has thus far demonstrated no indication of surrendering authority.