Netanyahu tells ABC he's not ruling out taking out Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week.
When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports from ABC News and other outlets that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader, concerned that it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu said, "It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict."
"We've had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East; has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia; is spreading terrorism and subversion and sabotage everywhere," Netanyahu said. "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."
Asked if Israel would target the supreme leader, Netanyahu said that Israel was "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. "It's basically Hitler's nuclear team."
Netanyahu said it in America's interest to support Israel as it seeks to eliminate Iran's nuclear program.
"Today, it's Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it's New York. Look, I understand 'America First'. I don't understand 'America Dead'. That's what these people want. They chant 'Death to America.' So we're doing something that is in the service of mankind, of humanity, and it's a battle of good against evil. America does, should, and does stand with the good. That's what President Trump is doing, And I deeply appreciate his support," he told Karl.
Israel's prime minister also dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that Iran has been urgently signaling that it is wants to end hostilities and resume negotiations over its nuclear program.
"I'm not surprised. I mean, they want to continue to have these fake talks in which they lie, they cheat, they string the U.S. along. And, you know, we have very solid Intel on that," he said. "They want to keep on building their nuclear weapons and building their mass ballistic missile arsenal, which they're firing at our people. They want to continue to create the two existential threats against Israel while they're talking. That's not going to happen."
Asked to respond to some Republicans opposed to America's military support for Israel's strikes against Iran, including commentator Tucker Carlson, Netanyahu said Iran is a "threat to the entire world."
"We're not just fighting our enemy. We're fighting your enemy. For God's sake, they chant, "death to Israel, death to America." We're simply on their way. And this could reach America soon," Netanyahu said.
In his Friday newsletter, Carlson wrote that "The United States should not at any level participate in a war with Iran. No funding, no American weapons, no troops on the ground," and that the United States should let Israel 'fight their own wars'.
"We're taking the action. America is supporting us in defense. Deeply, deeply appreciated. But this is a threat to the entire world," Netanyahu said. "It's a threat to Israel; as I said -- to our Arab neighbors; to Europe; to America. They chant 'Death to America.' It's though -- 'This is not your business'? This is not myopia. This is utter blindness."
"Sometimes you have to take a stand against evil. And that's what the American people instinctively understand. Most of them, I have to say. And that's what President Trump understands. We cannot let that happen," he added.
In an updated travel advisory on Monday, the State Department appears to have classified all of Israel and the West Bank as "Level 4: Do Not Travel"—its highest advisory level.
Karl asked Netanyahu about whether he would stop bombing if Trump requested him to do so and to resume diplomatic talks.
"Well, President Trump has been a great leader, a great leader of the world, and a great leader and a great friend of Israel, and he put forward the terms very clearly in the negotiations," Netanyahu said.
"He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and in order for it not to have a nuclear weapon, it cannot have the capacity to enrich uranium, which is the prerequisite for nuclear weapons."
He later added that the Iranians do not want to continue negotiations in good faith and are "stringing the U.S. along" as they keep building up their weapons. "They don't want a seat at the table -- they want to blow up the table. Specifically, they want to blow up Israel and purchase time," Netanyahu said.
Later, Karl said it seemed like Netanyahu and Trump were disagreeing over whether Israel should take out Khamenei. Netanyahu responded, "I wouldn't rush to conclusions."
Karl asked what more Netanyahu would want from Trump and the United States, or if he expected the U.S. Air Force to help them.
Netanyahu praised the American defenses helping Israel against drones and missiles, but added, "As far as what else America will do -- that's up to President Trump. He will do what's in the best interest of the United States, but it's important to understand that we deeply appreciate his help and the help and the support of the great majority of the American people, because they understand what we're fighting against.
"We're fighting against a regime that hates us both, that is trying to assassinate us both, that there is trying to bring death and destruction throughout the Middle East and to the world. And sometimes you have to take a stand. You take a stand with the good against evil. And that's precisely what America is doing under President Trump," Netanyahu said.
Trump, in Canada on Monday at the Group of Seven summit, was asked what it would take for the United States to get involved militarily in the conflict; he replied, “I don't want to talk about that."
The death toll in Iran was 224 as of early Monday, according to the head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health. In Israel, 24 have been killed and 592 injured, according to a release from the Prime Minister's office on Monday morning.
The escalation between the two countries came ahead of high-level talks between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, which were scheduled to resume on Sunday in Oman. Iran has since suspended the talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a meeting of ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday that Israel's ongoing attacks on the country could not have happened "without the agreement and support of the United States."
Araghchi called on the international community to condemn Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"This is perhaps the last red line of international law that the Israeli regime has crossed, and if the international community is indifferent to these red lines, it will certainly have consequences for all other countries," Araghchi said.
ABC News' Benjamin Siegel and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.
