Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, on Sunday rejected a Reuters report claiming U.S. President Donald Trump recently blocked an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hanegbi called the claim “fake news of the highest order.”
Earlier in the day, Reuters quoted two unnamed U.S. officials saying Israel informed Washington it had an opportunity to kill Khamenei following Israel’s large‑scale strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but Trump vetoed the proposal.
One official said the United States would not consider targeting Iran’s political leadership “until they (Iran) kill an American.”
The U.S. officials added that senior figures in Washington and Jerusalem have been in continuous contact since Israel’s operation against Iran began.
Israel currently has no plan to target Iran’s top political leaders, Hanegbi said.