‘We’ll reach you personally,’ Katz warns Khamenei from air base

Israeli defense chief issues direct threat to Iran’s supreme leader, citing recent airstrikes on Tehran and vowing even greater force.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a pointed threat to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday, warning that Israel would not hesitate to strike directly at the head of the regime, Israeli media reported.

Speaking from Ramon Air Base in southern Israel alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IAF commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, Katz praised Israeli fighter pilots for their recent mission, “Operation Rising Lion,” which targeted Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure.

“I want to send a clear message to the dictator Khamenei: If you continue to threaten Israel, our long arm will once again reach Tehran—and this time, it will reach you personally,” Katz said.

“Don’t threaten us, or you will be harmed,” he added.

The remarks came during a ceremony honoring the air crews involved in the 12-day operation, which Israeli officials say dismantled key parts of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“You opened the skies to Tehran, struck repeatedly at the head of the Iranian octopus, and removed threats of annihilation,” Katz told the pilots.

The term “Iranian octopus” refers to a strategic doctrine promoted by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. It describes Iran’s influence as a central body with militant tentacles extending across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and Syria.

This is not the first time Katz has publicly threatened Khamenei.

On June 17, he compared the Iranian leader to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, warning he could meet a similar fate.

Saddam was captured by U.S. forces and later executed by Iraqis after being overthrown.

At a pilots’ graduation ceremony earlier this month, Katz emphasized that Israel’s air force could strike anywhere in Iran—“from Tehran to Isfahan to Tabriz”—and warned that no one responsible for harming Israel would be safe.

“There is no place where Iranian officials who endanger the Jewish state can hide,” he said.

Katz’s Sunday visit also included a high-level military briefing attended by Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai, intelligence chiefs, and representatives from Mossad and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

The meeting signaled that Israel may be preparing for renewed operations against Iran and its regional proxies.

Iran’s response to recent strikes has been both rhetorical and military.

On July 16, Khamenei accused the U.S. and Israel of aggression but claimed Tehran had “brought Israel to its knees” and scared Washington.

He also addressed the U.S.-led “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which struck key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan on June 22.

Khamenei said Israel “desperately turned to the U.S.” for help.

In retaliation, Iran fired 14 missiles at America’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar the next day, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. Thirteen were intercepted. One crashed harmlessly. There were no casualties.

Despite the failed retaliation, Khamenei hailed the missile strike as a “significant” response and promised “bigger blows” could come if provoked again.

The 86-year-old Iranian leader went into hiding during Israel’s air campaign and did not appear in public until July 5.

Even then, his first appearance was a pre-recorded video declaring victory over both Israel and the U.S., vowing Iran would never back down.

Katz made clear that Israel isn’t buying it.

“The ayatollahs should understand,” he said Sunday, “that the next time, the blow will be even harder—and much closer to home.”