Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for the death penalty for Israeli leaders instead of arrests after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Galant and former Hamas military leader Mohammad Deif.
“Netanyahu and the criminal leaders of this regime must receive death sentences,” Khamenei said in his speech, which was quoted by Iranian state media. He stressed that Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon are not a victory, but a war crime, and added that the issuance of arrest warrants is only an insufficient step compared to the necessary measures.
Khamenei also posted a statement in Hebrew on his Twitter earlier, calling for the prosecution of all Israeli political and military leaders, whom he called part of a “terrorist Zionist gang”.
