Netanyahu says assassination of Iran's supreme leader would end, not escalate, conflict

WASHINGTON

The assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would "end" the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday as he refused to rule out taking the action amid the highly volatile regional conflict.

"It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict," Netanyahu said during an interview with ABC News. "The 'forever war' is what Iran wants, and they're bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil."

Earlier reports suggested that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei.

Asked if Israel would target the Iranian leader, Netanyahu said Israel is "doing what we need to do."

"I'm not going to get into the details, but we've targeted their top nuclear scientists," Netanyahu said.

The State Department earlier Monday updated its travel advisory for Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza, warning Americans not to travel to the region due to heightened security risks.

Tensions have escalated since Friday when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes and drone attacks on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities said that at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday.

Iran, for its part, said that at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.