Iran’s Khamenei Calls For Death Sentence For Israeli Leaders

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with members of Iran's Basij militia in Tehran, Iran, November 25, 2024. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

PARIS, November 25, 2024 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The supreme leader of Iran, which backs the Hamas and Hezbollah militants fights Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, said on Monday that death sentences should be issued for Israeli leaders, not arrest warrants.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was commenting on a decision by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence chief and a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri.

“They issued an arrest warrant, that’s not enough…Death sentence must be issued for these criminal leaders”, Khamenei said, referring to the Israeli leaders.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for act including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza”.

The decision was met with outrage in Israel, which called it shameful and absurd. Gaza residents expressed hope it would help and the violence and bring those responsible for war crime to justice.

The warrant for a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the war on the long-blockaded Palestinian enclave, and also charges of rape and the taking of hostages.