'No one is immune!' Iran's leader 'cannot continue to exist' says Israel as war rhetoric rapidly escalates

During a visit to the bombed Beersheba hospital just outside Tel Aviv, Katz refused to say whether Israel would pursue regime change as part of its military offensive in Tehran.

Katz, who previously suggested Khamenei could face the same fate as executed ex-Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, also compared the Iranian Supreme Leader to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

He said: "We would have sent the IDF, extracted him, and eliminated him. And just like that, correspondingly, I see the current situation — Khamenei is the modern Hitler."

Katz, who declared "without question" that Khamenei "should not continue to exist", added: "This is a man who has stood at the head of a powerful nation for decades and has great ideological influence.

"He uses it and openly says he supports the destruction of Israel. He mobilises all available resources, even at the expense of his own people, for this purpose.

"And today we see proof that he is personally giving the order to fire on hospitals and residential buildings.

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"These [repeated missiles strikes on civilian targets] are not a statistical deviation that can be explained away — he sees this as part of the mission to destroy the State of Israel."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also kept an Ayatollah assassination attempt on the table, telling reports that he had given instructions that "no one is immune".

US President Donald Trump, who approved US action against Iran last night before admitting he has not made a final decision, previously vetoed Israeli plans to wipe out Khamenei.

A senior White House official said: "Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership."

However, Trump is still mulling over whether to approve US strikes against Iran.

The 47th President rushed to the Situation Room last night after keeping his options on the table.

"I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change, especially with war," Trump added.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Israel against eliminating Khamenei.

The Russian dictator said that he “doesn’t even want to discuss” the Iranian leader’s potential assassination.

When asked if Russia was ready to provide Iran with modern weapons to defend itself against Israeli strikes, Putin pointed out Moscow and Tehran had signed a strategic partnership treaty in January that did not envisage military cooperation.

Israel and Iran have launched strikes against one another on every day since June 13.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency believes Iran's death toll now stands at 639, with a further 1,329 people sustaining injuries.

During its first set of strikes, Israel wiped out several top Tehran generals and targeted nuclear sites.

Meanwhile, Israel's health ministry said that 271 people had been injured as a result of Iranian strikes.

Katz's visit to Beersheba came just hours after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at a local hospital.

Several wards were completely destroyed as fire spread through one of the buildings, causing windows to smash and ceilings to collapse, hospital authorities said.