Trump opposes Israeli plan to kill Iranian supreme leader

U.S. President Donald Trump opposed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to CNN, amid ongoing exchanges of missiles, bombs, and combat drones that began on Friday, June 13. Over the weekend, a senior U.S. official told CNN that Israel had an opportunity to strike Iran’s supreme leader. However, the U.S. informed Israel that Trump was against the plan, and as a result, it was not carried out. Trump is reportedly eager to de-escalate the situation, wary of becoming entangled in another Middle East conflict, and closely monitoring the shifting p

U.S. President Donald Trump opposed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to CNN, amid ongoing exchanges of missiles, bombs, and combat drones that began on Friday, June 13. Over the weekend, a senior U.S. official told CNN that Israel had an opportunity to strike Iran’s supreme leader. However, the U.S. informed Israel that Trump was against the plan, and as a result, it was not carried out. Trump is reportedly eager to de-escalate the situation, wary of becoming entangled in another Middle East conflict, and closely monitoring the shifting political landscape within his party. When asked about the reported plan during an interview on Fox News' Special Report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, “There are so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I’m not going to get into that.” A spokesperson for Netanyahu told CNN that the reports of Trump rejecting an Israeli plan are “FAKE.” “We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Trump told ABC News on Sunday morning. These competing interests have created a complex situation for a former president who has long promised to bring peace to global conflict zones. Since Israel launched its initial attack early Friday, the U.S. has provided defensive support, helping intercept waves of Iranian retaliatory strikes. On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force targeted command centers belonging to the Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israel’s national emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA), reported that five people were killed in central Israel during the latest round of Iranian missile strikes four in the city of Petah Tikva and one in Bnei Brak. These casualties bring the total number of deaths in Israel to 18 since the hostilities began on Friday. Meanwhile, Iran’s health ministry reported at least 224 deaths and 1,277 hospitalizations since the conflict erupted.