Iranian leadership on Sunday threatened to kill Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the war in the region continues to escalate.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said via Iranian state media that it “vows to pursue and kill ‘child-killer’ Netanyahu if he is still alive,” while simultaneously suggesting — without evidence — that the Israeli leader might already be dead.
Israel called the suggestion that Netanyahu is dead “fake news” and said the prime minister is fine.
Iran’s statement marks one of the most direct threats against Netanyahu since the war began late last month with coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. The attacks killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose son replaced him as supreme leader.
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Israel’s Defense Force said on X it had conducted attacks on Iran over the weekend that targeted Iranian officials, including Abdollah Jalali-Nasab & Amir Shariat, senior intelligence officials of the “Khatam al-Anbiya” Emergency Command. The IDF also said it struck Iran’s Space Agency and aerial defense system production factory.
Iran had launched waves of retaliatory attacks against Israel, but Israel’s Defense Forces said it is working to intercept Iranian “missile barrages.” Iran fired five missile attacks in the span of nine hours.
The conflict has rapidly widened beyond Iran, with Israel turning its focus to Lebanon to target the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, which launched missiles against the Jewish state on March 2. Israel and Lebanon have since agreed to hold face-to-face peace talks.
The broader war has already caused significant casualties and humanitarian concerns across the region. More than 1,800 people have been killed since the conflict began, and attacks have damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted shipping through key waterways.
Energy markets and maritime shipping have been rattled as well, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, which is a critical waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply normally passes. Iran has threatened to disrupt traffic and has attacked boats moving through the passage.
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On Friday, President Donald Trump said U.S. forces had bombed Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil facility in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Central Command said it struck 90 Iranian military targets on the island.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the U.S. strikes also hit Abu Musa, a tiny island located hundreds of miles away from Kharg. Iran has a military presence on Abu Musa, but it has been disputed by the United Arab Emirates. The Kharg strike could heighten tensions between Iran and the UAE.
