Israel said Wednesday that the killing of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was legal under international law for armed conflict. They called him the commander-in-chief of the Iranian military and a valid target.
According to AFP, the Middle East conflict that started on Saturday was caused by coordinated attacks by the US and Israel against Iran, one of which killed the Iranian supreme leader.
Israel says the strikes were necessary to protect its own national security, in part because Iran was rebuilding its nuclear weapons program in a new subterranean site.
Nadav Shoshani, a spokeswoman for the Israeli military, claimed yesterday that the attack that killed Khamenei “followed international law.”
“Under the international law of armed conflict, military commanders directing armed forces during war can constitute lawful military targets,” Shoshani stated on X.
He said that Ali Khamenei was the Supreme Leader of Iran and the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces. He also called the ayatollah “the final decision-maker on Iran’s military operations.”
He ordered the use of force against Israel during the ongoing conflict and handled the funding, arming, and coordination of the regime’s terrorist proxies.
Shoshani added, “Taking out the regime’s Commander-in-Chief gave us a clear military advantage by making it harder for Iran to plan and carry out attacks on Israel.”
Iranian news sources say that Khamenei’s wife, son-in-law, and two grandchildren who were still minors also died in the hit that killed the ayatollah.
Iran has responded to his death by launching waves of missile attacks on Israel and other targets in the Middle East, including US military and diplomatic locations.
The US and Israel have kept bombing sites in Iran.
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