Israel says its strike on Iran’s supreme leader was legal under laws of war, citing his role as commander-in-chief of Iranian armed forces.

JERUSALEM: Israel declared on Thursday that the killing of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei complied with international law governing armed conflict.

Military spokesman Nadav Shoshani stated the supreme leader was a lawful military target as commander-in-chief of the Iranian armed forces.

“The strike that killed Khamenei complied with international law,” Shoshani said on social media platform X.

“Under the international law of armed conflict, military commanders directing armed forces during war can constitute lawful military targets.”

He described Khamenei as the final decision-maker on Iran’s military operations during the ongoing conflict.

Shoshani said Khamenei directed the use of force against Israel and oversaw the funding and arming of the regime’s terror proxies.

“Neutralizing the regime’s Commander-in-Chief delivered a clear military advantage by degrading Iran’s ability to plan and coordinate attacks against Israel,” he added.

The Middle East war began on Saturday with coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Israel has claimed the strikes were essential to safeguard its national security.

It cited Iran’s reconstitution of its nuclear weapons programme in a new, underground facility as a key reason.

Iranian media reported that Khamenei’s wife, son-in-law, and two minor grandchildren also died in the strike.

Iran has responded by launching waves of missile attacks on Israel and targets across the Middle East.

These attacks have included US military and diplomatic sites.

Israel and the United States have continued to bomb targets inside Iran in return.

 The Sun Malaysia