Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader: Official

President Donald Trump vetoed a plan presented by Israel to the US to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

The Israelis informed the Trump administration in recent days that it had developed a credible plan to kill Khamanei.

After being briefed on the plan, the White House made clear to Israeli officials that Trump was opposed to the Israelis making the move, according to the official who was not authorised to comment on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Trump administration is desperate to keep Israel’s military operation aimed at decapitating Iran’s nuclear program from exploding into an even more expansive conflict and saw the plan to kill Khamenei as a move that would enflame the conflict and potentially destabilize the region.

Asked on Sunday about the plan during a Fox News Channel’s "Special Report with Bret Baier, on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment.

"But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we’ll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States,” Netanyahu said.

Trump's rejection of the proposal was first reported by Reuters.

Associated Press