Jun 27, Kathmandu - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that they want to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Katz said that Khamenei is alive only because he cannot be found.

In an interview with Channel 13 on Thursday, Katz said, "If Khamenei were within our reach, we would kill him."

He further emphasized, “Israel wanted to eliminate Khamenei, but there was no opportunity to do so.”

When asked whether permission had been sought from the US to kill him, he said, “We don’t need anyone’s permission for this.”

Meanwhile, reports have emerged that Khamenei is hiding in a secure bunker for fear of assassination.

Meanwhile, after President Donald Trump, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has claimed that Iran's nuclear sites were completely destroyed in the attack on June 22.

Hegseth, along with General Dan Kaine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a press conference about the Iran attack at the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense.

He said, "The US attack on Iran was a historically successful attack."

Hegseth, who released an intelligence report that said the attack caused only minor damage to Iran's nuclear program, criticized journalists.