According to a report from Reuters on Sunday, which cited two U.S. officials, President Donald Trump recently rejected an Israeli request to carry out a strike targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership,” a senior official in the U.S. administration told Reuters.
Barak Ravid of Axios confirmed the Reuters report, citing a U.S. official who explained: “Since the operation commenced, the Israelis had an opportunity to kill the Supreme Leader. We communicated to the Israelis that President Trump is opposed to that. The Iranians haven’t killed an American, and discussion of killing political leaders should not be on the table.”
In response to the report, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi refuted the claims during an interview with Keren Marciano on Channel 12. He called it “fake news from the land of fake news. We did not request it, and we are not requesting it. The Americans make decisions based on their own interests.”
Hanegbi went on to say, “There is no immunity for political leaders. The initial decision was not to target the political leadership. At present, that is not the decision — but everything can change within 60 seconds.”
A senior Israeli official told the Wall Street Journal over the weekend that Israel is not ruling out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a possible target as it ramps up airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
The official clarified that Israel’s focus goes beyond attacking nuclear facilities, saying that its mission includes striking at Iran’s political and military leadership. He noted that Israeli forces have already killed nine top scientists involved in Iran’s uranium enrichment program, in addition to eliminating several high-ranking Iranian generals.
I believe the calculation is simple. Khamenei is in a bind and ingantzen fartumult, his country is totally chaotic and in severe turmoil, and he is making mistakes and blunders to Israels benefit. Keeping him alive entails some risks but also allows Israel to outsmart him on every move he makes.
If Trump did in fact communicate this to Bibi, it is completely logical. Taking out the Ayatoe-la would put a target squarely on Trump’s back.