Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that eliminating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not escalate tensions, but rather would help “end the conflict” by removing the threat posed by the theocratic regime, likening Iran’s Supreme Leader to “a modern Hitler” while warning that Tehran’s ambitions extend far beyond Israel.
In an interview with ABC News on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressed on whether Israel would target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to which he replied that Israel was “doing what we need to do” before making a bold declaration: “It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict.”
When asked about a recent report suggesting that President Donald Trump had rejected Israeli plans to assassinate Khamenei, Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s ongoing operations. “I’m not going to get into the details, but we’ve targeted their top nuclear scientists,” he noted. “It’s basically Hitler’s nuclear team.”
Netanyahu framed Israel’s actions as a matter of international security, warning that Iran’s ambitions pose a direct threat to the United States:
“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.”
The Israeli prime minister also brushed aside reports that Iran was signaling a willingness to negotiate, calling any diplomatic overtures a sham. “They want to continue to have these fake talks in which they lie, they cheat, they string the U.S. along,” he said. “We have very solid intel on that.”
Despite mounting tensions, Netanyahu insisted Israel will continue its operations against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“They want to keep on building their nuclear weapons and building their mass ballistic missile arsenal, which they’re firing at our people,” he said. “They want to continue to create the two existential threats against Israel while they’re talking — that’s not going to happen.”
Asked to respond to some Republicans and other figures who oppose U.S. military support for Israel’s strikes against Iran, Netanyahu reiterated the gravity of the threat. “We’re not just fighting our enemy. We’re fighting your enemy. For God’s sake, they chant ‘Death to Israel, Death to America.’ We’re simply on their way. And this could reach America soon.”
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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