TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday (Jul 16) that Israel’s attacks during last month’s 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic Republic’s system and spark unrest to topple it.
“The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in Iran,” said Khamenei during a meeting with judiciary officials.
During the meeting, excerpts of which were published in videos on his website, he said the move was meant to stir “unrest and bring people into the streets to overthrow the system”.
Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran on Jun 13, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
Iranian authorities said more than 1,000 people were killed in Iran.
During the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that the Israeli strikes “certainly could” bring about a change in the Iranian system.
“The Iranian regime is very weak,” he said during the interview on Jun 15.
Iran responded to the Israeli attacks with drone and missile fire, killing 28 people in Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
On Jun 22, Israel’s ally, the United States, launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.
Iran hit back with missile strikes on the US Al-Udaid airbase in Qatar, which Khamenei described on Wednesday as a “big blow” to the US and warned that “even greater strikes can be dealt to the US and others”.
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since Jun 24.
Israel’s attacks took place two days before Iran and the US were scheduled to meet for a sixth round of nuclear talks which had begun on Apr 12.
The talks have not since resumed.
