Israeli miner says Iran’s Khamenei ‘can no longer be allowed to ex’ | World News

Israel’s defence miner Israel Katz on Thursday said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to ex,” following a missile strike on Soroka hospital in Beersheba during Iran’s latest wave of retaliatory attacks.“Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed – he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal,” Katz told journals in Holon near Tel Aviv, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Such a man can no longer be allowed to ex.”
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The Iranian missile strike caused significant damage to the hospital, though no serious injuries were reported as patients and staff had been moved to protected areas, said hospital director Shlomi Kodesh, The Guardian reported. Video clips circulating on social media showed dusty corridors strewn with debris and shocked medical staff standing amid the rubble.
A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed “damage to the hospital and extensive damage in various areas. We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time,” The Guardian report added.

Soroka Hospital in Beersheba – where Jews, Muslims, Chrians, and Arab Bedouin receive care – was just hit an indiscriminate Iranian ballic missile.
Israel will continue to do what must be done to protect all its people, from all walks of life. pic.twitter.com/JNgYYYcz1N
— Israel Foreign Minry (@IsraelMFA) June 19, 2025
As per report The Guardian, sirens were heard across Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as multiple missiles evaded defence systems. Blasts were reported in central Israel, with at least 40 people injured in strikes around Tel Aviv.
In response, Israeli jets launched further attacks on Iranian targets, including a heavy-water reactor near Arak and the Natanz nuclear facility.
‘Cowardly’ Khamenei will be held accountable
After the attack on hospital, Israeli Defense Miner Israel Katz warned that Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei will “be held accountable” for his “war crimes”Story continues below this ad
“The cowardly Iranian dictator sits deep within a fortified bunker and deliberately launches attacks toward hospitals and residential buildings in Israel”
“These are war crimes of the most serious kind and [Ayatollah] Khamenei will be held accountable,” Katz said in a post on X.
“The Prime Miner and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs’ regime.”

הדיקטטור האיראני הפחדן יושב במעמקי הבונקר הממוגן ויורה ירי מכוון לעבר בתי חולים ובנייני מגורים בישראל.
אלה הם פשעי מלחמה מהסוג החמור ביותר – וחמינאי יתן את הדין על פשעיו.
ראש הממשלה ואני הנחינו את צה”ל להגביר את עוצמת התקיפות נגד יעדים אסטרטגיים באיראן ונגד יעדים שלטוניים בטהרן…
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 19, 2025
Katz’s remarks mark the first time Israel has officially declared regime change in Tehran as a goal of the ongoing war, now in its seventh day.
While Israeli Prime Miner Benjamin Netanyahu has long hinted at such ambitions, initial Israeli strikes focused on military and nuclear infrastructure. The latest attacks, however, include facilities with no direct ties to the nuclear programme, indicating a shift in strategy.Story continues below this ad
The Israeli attack on Iran’s heavy-water reactor did not result in a radiation leak, Iranian state TV said. Authorities claimed the area had been evacuated prior to the strike following Israeli warnings.
Iran’s Khamenei on Wednesday, warned the US that it would face “irreparable damage” if it moved from defending Israel to directly participating in military assaults on Iranian soil.