• Israel's Defense Minister claimed the country aimed to assassinate Iranian leader Khamenei during recent war.
• Khamenei went underground, making the plan to eliminate him unfeasible.
• The conflict resulted in significant casualties on both sides, ending with a US-brokered ceasefire.
• Israeli officials reaffirm support from the US for future military actions against Iran.
• Khamenei and Israel both declared victory in the recent military exchange.

During the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the Israeli military had intended to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Katz noted that the plan was thwarted as Khamenei went “very deep underground,” making elimination attempts unfeasible. “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” according to Katz, speaking on Israel's public broadcaster KAN aljazeera, indiatimes, and aa.

Katz emphasized that Israel actively searched for Khamenei during the conflict but found no operational opportunity to carry out the assassination. He drew a parallel to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed last year, suggesting that Khamenei would be wise to remain in hiding as well. Katz’s comments follow a series of airstrikes that targeted key Iranian military personnel and facilities aljazeera, indiatimes, and aa.

The conflict erupted on June 13, resulting in significant casualties and destruction on both sides, concluding with a US-brokered ceasefire. Estimates indicate that the conflict led to at least 606 fatalities in Iran and numerous casualties in Israel. Following the ceasefire, both Khamenei and Israeli officials claimed victory amid ongoing tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had previously implied that the conflict could pave the way for potential regime change in Iran aljazeera, indiatimes, and aa.