In an interview with ABC News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that eliminating Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not escalate tensions but rather end the ongoing conflict. He asserted that Iran has long spread terrorism throughout the Middle East and is pushing the region toward nuclear confrontation. “To stop this aggression, we must confront the evil forces,” he said. Reports have previously suggested that former U.S. President Donald Trump had vetoed such a targeted killing.