Iran has distributed a so-called “execution list” that targets the highest-ranking Israeli officials, among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, along with the leaders of the Israeli Army, Navy, and Air Force. This came via a poster shared on X, one of these versions from the account @Revenge_is_near.
Although no government has so far reacted to the claims, leaks from Iranian military intelligence say that Israel’s topmost leadership, arguably Netanyahu, might be targeted. The high-ranking military officials listed include Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, his deputy Amir Baram, Major Generals Ori Gordin, Yehuda Fox, and Eliezer Toledani, and Military Intelligence Chief Aharon Haliva.
If genuine, this list may represent the response of Iran to reports emanating from Israel that, in retaliation for Israel’s attempted destruction of the leadership of Hezbollah, there was an assassination plot against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. This is the second such list, after one issued by Israel itself that presented a claimed list of high-ranking military cadres of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, which it said to have killed.
Following recent attacks, Netanyahu said that Iran had made “a big mistake.” An attack against Defence Minister Gallant would be huge, not only because of his position but also because of the controversial actions attached to his name, one of which is the 2022 blockade of Gaza that had serious humanitarian consequences for civilians.
Tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran are growing after a heavy missile strike from Iran reportedly answered the murder of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by Israel.
In the past week, Israel reportedly killed at least eight senior leaders of Hezbollah, raising fears of an intensified conflict. At the same time, Iranian officials threatened “crushing attacks” if Israel launched retaliation, while the Israeli embassy in India ominously warned that any act of aggression by Iran would receive a strategic response.
The situation is fast escalating, and the fears of a broader war in the region are rising accordingly, with frantic efforts by diplomats to stem the tide. Thousands of people have already been reported to have been killed or wounded in the ongoing violence. As many as 1,900 were reported to have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon, while Israeli strikes reportedly killed more than 41,000 people in Palestine, many of them civilians.
