Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued one of the most forceful public condemnations of Iran’s Supreme Leader on Thursday, calling Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “the modern Hitler” and asserting that his continued leadership poses a direct existential threat to the Jewish state.

Speaking to Israeli media, Katz said that under the current war objectives set for the Israeli, “without question, this man should not continue to exist.”

“A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of the State of Israel his declared goal — this horrific goal — cannot be allowed to continue or materialize,” Katz stated.

The minister drew a parallel between Iran’s Supreme Leader and Adolf Hitler, saying Israel must act decisively to prevent a similar historical tragedy.

“I compare it to the scenario in which, during the horrific Holocaust, if the State of Israel had existed and a strong Israeli army had existed, and we knew we could send the military into a bunker to capture the enemy of the Jewish people, Hitler, in order to thwart his plan to annihilate the Jews, we would have done it,” Katz said. “We would have sent the army, extracted him, and eliminated him. And just like that, correspondingly, I see the current situation. Khamenei is the modern Hitler.”

Katz emphasized that Khamenei has wielded immense ideological influence for decades, using his power to mobilize Iran’s resources, even at the expense of its own people, to target Israel.

“He openly says he supports the destruction of Israel,” Katz continued. “And today, we see proof that he is personally giving orders to fire on hospitals and residential buildings. These are not isolated incidents or statistical deviations. This is part of his mission to destroy the State of Israel.”

When asked directly whether the elimination of Khamenei was now an explicit objective of Israel’s military campaign, Katz responded: “The objectives of the war are to remove the nuclear threat, eliminate sources of destruction, and neutralize missile threats. Within this framework, the Israeli army has been instructed and knows that to achieve all the objectives, without question this man should no longer continue to exist.”