Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Monday that death sentences, rather than arrest warrants, should be issued for Israeli leaders.
"Netanyahu and the criminal leaders of this regime must be sentenced to death," Khamenei said.
His remarks came after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and former Hamas military wing chief Mohammad Deif.
"What the Zionist regime did in Gaza and Lebanon is not a victory, it is a war crime," Khamenei said in a speech that was quoted by Iranian state media IRNA. "Now, they have issued a warrant for their arrest. This is not enough."
Khamenei wrote in an additional post to X/Twitter on Monday, "The stupid Zionists imagine that by bombarding people's homes, hospitals, and places where people are gathered, they're the victors. No, no one in the world considers that to be a victory."
The stupid Zionists imagine that by bombarding people's homes, hospitals, and places where people are gathered, they're the victors. No, no one in the world considers that to be a victory.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) November 25, 2024
Khamenei previously tweeted on Saturday to his X/Twitter account in Hebrew that "All the political and military leaders of the criminal Zionist terrorist gang must be prosecuted."