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'Turning point' - Israeli DefMin Katz on Khamenei's killing, saying Operation Roaring Lion 'not halted'

'Turning point' - Israeli DefMin Katz on Khamenei's killing, saying Operation Roaring Lion 'not halted'

"Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz praised the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a 'turning point' in the first situational assessment of Operation Roaring Lion. “I am full of appreciation for the planning, the force buildup, and the force application that led to yesterday's elimination of the tyrant - the greatest persecutor of the Jews in this era,” he stated in footage released on Sunday. “Khamenei is highly significant. He is the man who led the campaign of annihilation against the State of Israel. He built the entire Axis of Evil around us. Within Iran itself, he led an uncompromising line against the State of Israel, and therefore, his elimination is a turning point; together with him, many other significant senior figures were also neutralised,” Katz continued. Iranian state television had earlier confirmed that Khamenei was killed in strikes carried out on Saturday. The Supreme Leader, who had ruled since 1989, held ultimate authority over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions and was widely regarded as the central pillar of the country’s power structure. Iranian officials warned that Khamenei’s killing would mark a turning point, with the Revolutionary Guard vowing retaliation and declaring that "this great crime will not go unpunished." The Israeli Defence chief went on to stress that the operation has not achieved its end, confirming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of another planned attack against Iran. "We have set goals for ourselves, and we will achieve and fulfil them, taking action for as long as is required. Whenever the IDF presents its plans, we will support them and enable them to continue executing them until the goals are achieved." The announcement comes amid rapidly escalating regional tensions. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities as part of the joint operation. In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched large-scale missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets, while reports indicated strikes on US military facilities across the region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait."