‘Khamenei can no longer be allowed to exist’: Israel strikes deep into Iran’s nuclear core as conflict reaches breaking point

In his bluntest warning yet, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on June 19 declared: “Khamenei can no longer be allowed to exist.” His statement came just hours after Israel unleashed its most aggressive strikes yet against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, targeting multiple key sites overnight.

Israel’s warplanes pounded Iran’s reactor near Arak, a facility near Natanz, and areas adjoining the Khondab heavy-water research complex — all critical nodes in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency. The strikes mark the seventh consecutive day of Israel’s expanding offensive against Iran’s nuclear and military apparatus.

Iran responded with fury. Tehran launched a barrage of missiles that struck a medical facility inside Israel, damaging surrounding residential blocks, the Associated Press reported. The exchange signaled a dangerous deepening of the conflict, with civilians increasingly caught in the crossfire.

Israel accuses Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of directly ordering the attacks on civilian targets. "He ordered the strikes on hospitals. He is personally driving the campaign for Israel’s destruction," Defense Minister Gallant charged, as quoted by AFP. "Khamenei can no longer be allowed to exist."

The death toll on both sides continues to rise steeply. Israel’s air campaign has reportedly killed several senior Iranian generals and nuclear scientists. A Washington-based Iranian human rights group claims at least 639 people have died in Iran — including 263 civilians — with over 1,300 injured. In retaliation, Iran’s missile and drone strikes have killed at least 24 Israelis and wounded hundreds more.

Amid mounting global anxiety, US President Donald Trump has kept the world guessing on America’s next move. “I may do it. I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said, referring to possible U.S. military involvement. While claiming Iranian officials have sought talks, Trump dismissed the possibility, saying, “It’s a little late.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press forward. “We are progressing step by step in dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure,” he said, thanking Trump for his continued support.

Meanwhile, Tehran unleashed a diplomatic offensive, accusing the United Nations nuclear watchdog of complicity. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei blasted the IAEA for releasing a report critical of Iran’s nuclear program just days before hostilities erupted.

In a scathing message posted on X, Baqaei accused IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi of betraying the non-proliferation regime, calling the agency a “partner to this unjust war of aggression.”

With military strikes intensifying and diplomatic channels collapsing, the world watches nervously as the Israel-Iran conflict teeters on the edge of a full-scale regional war — one that could drag in global powers.