Tel Aviv, Israel – In a strategic shift reflecting the peak of military escalation in the region, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced on Wednesday that the Israeli army has been given full and open authorization to carry out assassinations targeting senior Iranian officials “wherever they are found,” without needing to return to the political level for prior approval.
Authorization to kill and bypassing bureaucracy
Katz explained that this decision, made in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
aims to grant field and intelligence forces maximum flexibility in seizing operational opportunities.
The Defense Minister revealed that the army is now authorized to “eliminate any high-ranking Iranian official once their operational and intelligence network is identified,”
emphasizing that operations will not require “further approval” from the Cabinet or the government, thus entering a phase of “open pursuit.”
Katz added firmly, “We will continue to thwart their plans and pursue them all; they will find no safe haven.”
The outcome of the “war of the big heads”
This announcement comes after a series of devastating strikes launched by Israel, in cooperation with the United States,
against the Iranian leadership since the start of the comprehensive offensive on February 28.
These attacks succeeded in eliminating the top brass of the power structure in Tehran,
including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in an unprecedented event that shifted the balance of power.
The list of assassinations also included the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani,
and the commander of the Basij forces, Gholamreza Soleimani, culminating in the recent
announcement of the death of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatibzadeh in a nighttime airstrike on Tehran.
The repercussions of “liquidating immunity”
Military observers believe that dropping the “prior authorization” requirement transforms the Israeli army
into a relentless pursuit machine aimed at dismantling what remains of the Islamic Republic’s command and control structure.
While assassinations of key figures were previously subject to careful political calculations due to fear of regional repercussions,
Tel Aviv appears to have decided to proceed with a comprehensive “elimination of immunity” strategy.
With Katz promising more “surprises,” the region is heading toward a highly dangerous phase,
where the conflict is no longer limited to proxies or facilities, but has become
a direct war to eliminate the heads of the Iranian regime one by one.
