Was the plan to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei set by Israel as early as November 2025? Israeli Defense Minister Katz said Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had planned a mission in November to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader in a “very small forum.”Khamenei was ultimately killed on the last day of February after Israel and the United States launched high-intensity military operations against Iran.
Katz said the attack’s timeline was accelerated due to massive anti-regime protests in the Islamic Republic, which created favorable conditions for the United States and Israel to carry out the operation in Iran.
Katz made the statement during a round of interviews with Hebrew-language media outlets. Speaking to Channel 12, Katz said that in November 2025, a select group of officials held talks “at a very small forum” with Netanyahu on the possibility of assassinating Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday, the first day of the current US-Israeli campaign against the Iranian regime.
Israel planned Khamenei attack first, timeline accelerated later: Katz
Israel Katz said Israel initially planned to launch an operation targeting Ali Khamenei in mid-2026, possibly in June.According to Katz, Israel did not immediately share the plan with the United States. Jerusalem was “operating under the assumption that we would have to do it (the killing) on our own.”US-Israel vs Iran: Live UpdatesHowever, the situation changed after anti-government protests began across Iran in late December. Katz said that during this time a “kind of dialogue” developed between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.
Protests create urgency and security concerns
The protests plunged the Islamic Republic into chaos. Thousands of protesters were reportedly killed by regime forces, with activist groups estimating the death toll to be in the thousands.Katz said both Israel and the United States were surprised by the scale of the unrest. He said that this situation has created a fear in Israel that the Iranian leadership could launch a preemptive strike before Israel can take action.He said, “It took everyone by surprise. The unrest created not only an opportunity, but also serious concern at the time that, because of the pressure on the regime from the protests, the regime might launch a preemptive missile attack on Israel and US forces in the region.”
Washington and Jerusalem launch joint plan
Amidst these developments, discussion about removing the Iranian leadership also started between Washington and Jerusalem.At that stage, Katz said the two countries agreed “on cooperation in defining the objectives” of an operation against Iran. He also began discussions about “creating conditions for the Iranian people to begin acting to overthrow the regime”; We started pursuing those objectives.According to Katz, coordination between the two allies soon expanded.“There was joint planning, and then there was a joint operational planning process,” he said.He rejected suggestions that either country had pressured the other country to launch an attack, saying that both governments acted independently based on their assessment of the threat posed by Iran.Praising Netanyahu, Katz said he believed “the only person in the world, the only leader who could have created such a collaboration with President Trump is Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Questions raised regarding renewed conflict with Iran
During an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, journalist Dana Weiss questioned Katz on why Israel was once again targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, despite previous claims that they had been significantly weakened.“We met here after Operation Rising Lion,” Weiss said. “You probably remember what you said there: ‘I can say with certainty that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon as a result of what we did.'”Weiss said Katz had previously said it would take “years” for Iran to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, yet Israel is again attacking the same programs while still facing Iranian missile attacks.Responding to the criticism, Katz defended the earlier operation.“We dismantled the Iranian nuclear program as it was and had been for many years,” he said, adding that Israel is now working to prevent Iran from rebuilding those capabilities.
Regime change is seen as a possibility, not a primary objective
Asked whether Israel might face another war with Iran within a few months, Katz avoided giving a clear timeline. Instead, he said the current military operation is much more extensive than previous operations.He said the ongoing attack on Iran was using “three times more force” than in previous conflicts.“I hope this will end with the overthrow of the regime by the Iranian people,” he said.In a separate interview with Kan public broadcaster, journalist Suleiman Maswadeh asked Katz whether the war would continue until Iran’s leadership was completely changed.Katz said the outcome ultimately depends on the Iranian population.Katz said, “The goal is to destroy Iran’s ability to return to its nuclear program, to destroy its ability to produce large numbers of ballistic missiles, to destroy its ability to help all of its proxies in the region, and to renew its campaigns to destroy Israel.”“And the issue of regime collapse and replacement, that’s something we expect, and want to make possible for the people of Iran.”
US and Israel agree on military objectives
Katz’s comments appeared to reflect the broader objectives outlined by Washington. The United States has said the goals of the military operation include destroying Iran’s ballistic missile capability and naval power, preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons, and ending its support for regional proxy groups.
At the beginning of the joint US-Israel attacks, Donald Trump also directly addressed the Iranian public.He urged them to “take over your government” after the military campaign ended, adding: “You have to take this. This will probably be your only chance for generations.”