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IDF Spokesman Defrin vows to hunt down and neutralize Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — 'He is not immune'

·Tel Aviv, Israel

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin publicly vowed at a press conference that Israel will hunt down and neutralize Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. 'He is not immune. We will pursue him, find him, and neutralize him,' Defrin said, pointing to the killings of Larijani and Basij commander Soleimani as proof of capability. Defrin also noted Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen or heard from publicly since the conflict began.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin issued an explicit public targeting declaration against Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at a press conference on Day 18. Responding to a question, Defrin said: 'We are striking all leaders of the regime, as seen in the past day,' referring to the killings of Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. 'Mojtaba Khamenei, we don't know his fate. We don't hear him, we don't see him, but I can tell you one thing, we will continue, as we have proven, we will continue to pursue anyone who poses a threat to the State of Israel or raises a hand against it,' Defrin said. 'He is not immune. We will pursue him, find him, and neutralize him.' The statement is the most explicit Israeli public targeting declaration against an active head of state in the conflict. It confirms that Israel is actively seeking to kill the Iranian Supreme Leader and that Mojtaba Khamenei's current location and status are unknown even to Israeli intelligence.
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Actor responses

IsraelSUPPORTINGSTATEMENT

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin stated at a press conference that Israel will hunt down, find, and neutralize Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Defrin noted Khamenei has not been seen or heard from since the conflict began and said 'He is not immune.'

IranOPPOSINGSTATEMENT

Iran did not formally respond to the IDF's targeting declaration against Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Iranian state media described the statement as 'psychological warfare' and a 'war crime declaration against a head of state.' Khamenei's location remained undisclosed.

United StatesNEUTRALRESPONSE

US officials did not publicly comment on the IDF's targeting declaration against Mojtaba Khamenei. State Department spokespeople declined to say whether the US supported or opposed targeting the Iranian Supreme Leader directly.

Sources

T1Times of Israel — Day 18 live blog (Defrin vows to hunt Mojtaba Khamenei)93% reliability