Israel Warns Iran’s Khamenei Is ‘Not Off Limits’, Strikes Senior Houthi Leader

Israel Says Khamenei ‘Not Off Limits’, Targets Top Houthi Commander Amid Escalating Conflict.

As tensions between Iran and Israel continue to escalate, a senior Israeli official has said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could become a direct target. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the unnamed official warned that Khamenei “is not off limits” and claimed that the conflict will only end with either Iran dismantling its nuclear program voluntarily or Israel rendering it impossible for Tehran to rebuild it.

Channel 12 also cited a senior Israeli political source who echoed this sentiment, saying, “Israel is not ruling out the possibility of eliminating Ali Khamenei, but it depends on many factors.”

The remarks suggest Israel’s campaign may extend beyond military installations to the very leadership of the Iranian regime. Israeli officials claimed recent strikes had already caused significant damage to critical infrastructure, including a reported structural collapse at the Natanz nuclear facility.

In a related escalation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes in Yemen on Saturday night, targeting senior Houthi commander Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari. The strike’s success has yet to be officially confirmed, though Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post they would know “soon.”

Rising Regional Conflict
The developments come days after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a sweeping military campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

Initial Israeli strikes killed several top Iranian military officials, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s air force chief. Iran responded with missile strikes on Israeli targets, including the port city of Haifa.

Early Sunday, Israel claimed to have struck the Iranian defence ministry headquarters in Tehran, as well as several other sites allegedly tied to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The intensifying hostilities also derailed diplomatic efforts, with a planned round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States now cancelled.