Assassinating Ali Khamenei was a ‘mistake’, 'Israeli' politician says

• Yair Golan, leader of ‘Israel’s’ Democrats party, says the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was a “mistake” because it did not serve ‘Israel’s’ interests.
• Golan also criticizes Netanyahu’s goal of toppling Iran’s government, calling it “unrealistic.”

Yair Golan, leader of ‘Israel’s’ Democrats party, has described the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a “mistake,” arguing that his killing did not advance ‘Israel’s’ strategic interests.

“I think, unequivocally, the elimination of Khamenei, the father, was a mistake, not because he didn’t deserve to die, only because it doesn’t serve the interests of the State of Israel,” Golan said.

His remarks challenge the strategic rationale behind the killing of Iran’s longtime leader, raising questions about whether the operation achieved its intended political and military objectives.

Khamenei was killed in the opening strikes of the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran on February 28, alongside several other senior Iranian officials.

His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, subsequently succeeded him as supreme leader, maintaining the leadership of the Islamic Republic following the assassination.

The killing marked a major escalation in the conflict, which began with US and ‘Israeli’ military operations against Iran.

Golan also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated objective of toppling the Iranian government, describing the goal as “unrealistic.”

His comments suggest that removing senior Iranian leaders does not necessarily translate into achieving broader political objectives, including regime change.

The remarks come amid continuing debate over the war’s strategic aims, its regional consequences and the prospects for a political outcome that would alter Iran’s governing system.

In 2003, the elder Khamenei issued a religious decree, known as a fatwa, prohibiting nuclear weapons on the grounds that they violated Islamic principles.

The decree became a recurring point of reference in discussions about Iran’s nuclear program, although disputes between Tehran and Western governments over the program continued for years.

Golan’s criticism of the assassination adds to the debate within ‘Israel’ over the consequences of the war and whether its military operations can achieve the government’s stated objectives.