Israeli minister accuses Ayatollah Khamenei of targeting civilians amid Israel-Iran conflict: ‘They have no restraints’

A senior cabinet minister of Israel has accused the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of targeting airstrikes at Israeli civilian areas, according to The Jerusalem Post.

“All of their conduct in recent days shows exactly why we had to act,” the minister told The Jerusalem Post. “They have no restraints. This is intentional. With their own hands, through these attacks, they are building the case against themselves,” he added.

According to two Israeli officials, Israel has gained full superiority much sooner than they expected. “The initial assessment was that air dominance would be reached only by midweek and beyond," they told the Jerusalem Post.

The officials further added, "But on Sunday, we carried out strikes in broad daylight over Tehran, showing that full aerial control had been established within just 48 hours of the fighting."

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz in a post on the social media platform X wrote, "Tehran is burning."

In a separate post on X, Katz mentioned that the Israel Defence Force (IDF) has been asked to issue evacuation orders to people living near weapons production complexes in Tehran.

"I instructed the IDF to issue evacuation notices to residents in Tehran living near weapons production complexes. The Iranian dictator is turning Tehran into Beirut and the residents of Tehran into hostages for the survival of his regime. The IDF continues to peel the skin of the Iranian snake with great force, from nuclear weapons to Tehran and everywhere else," Israel Katz posted on X.

Trump targeted, says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Iran would target US President Donald Trump as a threat to its nuclear program and work towards assassinating him.

"They want to kill him. He's enemy number one," Fox News quoted Netanyahu.

"He's a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with them in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb, padding it with billions and billions of dollars," he said.

Calling himself a “junior partner” of Trump, Netanyahu also claimed that Tehran is targeting him after a missile was fired into the window of his bedroom at his home. Highlighting the preparedness to eliminate the nuclear capabilities of Iran, the Israeli PM said that Operation Rising Lion, targeting the nuclear infrastructure, “one of the greatest military operations in history.”

Iran is prepared, says Khamenei

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the armed forces of Iran were prepared to deal with Israel.

In post on X, he wrote, “The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, a grave error, and committed a reckless act. By God's grace, the consequences of this will bring that regime to ruin. The Iranian nation won't permit the blood of its valued martyrs to go unavenged, nor will it ignore the violation of its airspace. Our Armed Forces are ready, and the country's officials and all the people are behind the Armed Forces.”

Israel-Iran conflict

The airstrikes continued on Sunday, after Israel launched airstrikes towards Iran on Friday, targeting their nuclear infrastructure. In response, Iran has launched multiple drone and missile attacks. Both militaries have advised their respective civilians to take precautions against possible further strikes. The airstrikes have led to several civilian casualties.

Israel struck at “the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme," Netanyahu said in a video message on Friday. He warned Israel's operation against Iran to “continue as many days as it takes."