Trump vetoes Israeli plan to assassinate Supreme Leader Khamenei as deadly strikes continue for third day
Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared the country was at a “historic crossroads” as Israel and Iran traded deadly missile attacks for a third consecutive day, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing the campaign against Tehran’s nuclear program would intensify.
Speaking in a video statement on Saturday, Herzog said: “This is not just our struggle. This is the struggle of all who seek peace, stability, and a hopeful future in the Middle East.”
The comments came as it emerged that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with U.S. officials saying the Trump administration was desperate to prevent the conflict from spiraling further out of control.
Nuclear Program Concerns
Israel has justified its unprecedented strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities by claiming Tehran was approaching the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon. The Israeli military said it had targeted nuclear sites across Iran, including both known enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow.
IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a recorded statement that intelligence in recent months “has shown that Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
He added that the strikes targeted the Iranian nuclear program to prevent “the Iranian regime’s ability to build a nuclear bomb in the immediate time frame.
Iran has long denied its nuclear program has military dimensions, insisting it is entirely civilian. However, the U.N. nuclear watchdog reported this week that Iran was violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty.
Trump Vetoes Assassination Plan
In a dramatic revelation, U.S. officials told multiple news outlets that President Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that they had developed a credible plan to kill Khamenei,” a U.S. official told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump opposed the move, seeing it as something that would inflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region.
“Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership,” one senior U.S. administration official told Reuters.
Netanyahu Hints at Regime Change
Despite the U.S. veto, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested regime change in Iran could be an outcome of the conflict.
We will hit every site and every target of the Ayatollahs’ regime, and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
In a Fox News interview, Netanyahu said regime change “could certainly be the result” of the conflict “because the Iranian regime is very weak.
When asked about reports of the assassination plan, Netanyahu did not directly address whether the White House rejected it, saying: “I think that we do what we need to do, we’ll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.”
Devastating Toll
The conflict has taken a devastating toll on both countries. In Iran, Israeli strikes destroyed residential apartment buildings, killing families as collateral damage in attacks targeting nuclear scientists and military commanders.
Iranian authorities said 78 people were killed on the first day alone, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children.
In Israel, at least 13 people have been killed and more than 370 injured by Iranian missile strikes on Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities, forcing residents to spend nights in bomb shelters.
Nuclear Talks Cancelled
The escalation has derailed diplomatic efforts, with Iran cancelling nuclear talks that had been scheduled with the U.S. in Oman on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said holding talks was “unjustifiable” while Israel’s “barbarous” attacks were ongoing.
Trump had urged Iran to agree to a new nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” suggesting that follow-up Israeli attacks would be “even more brutal.
Intelligence Successes
Israel claimed significant intelligence and operational successes in the strikes. The head of intelligence for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Mohammad Kazemi, his deputy General Hassan Mohaqeq, and General Mohsen Bagheri were all reportedly killed in Tehran.
Netanyahu revealed in his Fox News interview that Israel had successfully targeted these senior commanders, saying Israel “got” them in Tehran.
Looking Ahead
As the conflict enters its fourth day, uncertainty remains about potential further escalation. Trump predicted that Israel and Iran would “soon” make a deal, but also acknowledged: “Sometimes they have to fight it out.
The crisis is expected to dominate discussions at the G7 summit in Canada, where Trump is heading to meet with other world leaders.
With Israel vowing to continue its campaign and Iran promising harsh retaliation, the Middle East appears to be at what Herzog called a “historic crossroads” – with the international community watching anxiously to see which path will be taken.
Image credit:
Isaac Herzog 2023 (31 January 2023, during the official visit by the Greek Foreign Minister) by Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών (Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs), licensed under CC BY‑SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
