Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, issued a direct and severe warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday, threatening “personal harm” if Khamenei continued to threaten the Jewish state.Speaking at the Ramon Air Base, Katz declared, “I want to send a clear message to the dictator Khamenei: If you continue to threaten Israel, our long arm will once again reach Iran, with even greater force, and this time, it will reach you personally.”“Do not threaten us, or you will be harmed,” he added.The minister, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, praised the Israeli Air Force for its role in Operation Rising Lion, a military campaign launched on June 13 targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.“Thank you for the incredible work you did in Operation Rising Lion, when you opened the skies to Tehran, and removed threats of annihilation,” he stated. Iran responded with Operation True Promise 3, sparking a 12-day war that ended on June 25, brokered by US President Donald Trump. During the conflict, Trump claimed the US knew Khamenei’s whereabouts and even vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate the Iranian leader.In the aftermath, Katz confirmed that Khamenei had been “marked” for assassination by Israel but managed to avoid being targeted by going underground.
