Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, “cannot show his face in public,” describing him as “the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards.”
Netanyahu made the remark on Thursday during his first news conference since Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran.
At the briefing, he also said Israel and the United States were “crushing” both the Iranian regime and the Hezbollah militia group based in Lebanon.
Netanyahu also addressed the Iranian people, saying the “moment when you will be able to embark on a new path of freedom is approaching. We stand by you and help you, but at the end of the day it depends on you. It is in your hands.”
He further described United States President Donald Trump as his “personal friend,” adding that both leaders “talk almost every day” and make decisions about the war “together.”
Khamenei has not appeared publicly since succeeding his father as Iran’s Supreme Leader.
However, earlier on Thursday, Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first public speech since assuming office as Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The speech was aired on Iranian state television but was read by a presenter, with Khamenei not appearing personally during the broadcast.
In the address, he said the Iranian government had resisted attempts to destabilise the country and insisted that Iran must continue targeting United States military bases located in neighbouring countries.
He also called for the immediate closure of all U.S. bases in the region and said Iran should continue using the strategic leverage provided by closing the Strait of Hormuz.