Tel Aviv: Israel's defense minister threatened Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday with a fate similar to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. 'I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launching missiles at Israeli civilians,' Israel Katz said during a situational assessment cited by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. 'He (Khamenei) should remember what happened to the dictator in the country neighboring Iran who went down this path against the State of Israel,' he added, in reference to Saddam Hussein, who was overthrown in 2003 during the US invasion of Iraq and was later hanged.

According to Anadolu Agency, Katz drew parallels between Khamenei and Hussein, the Iraqi leader who was overthrown in 2003 following the US invasion and was subsequently found hiding in a desert hole before being executed. This warning comes amidst escalating regional tensions since Friday, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities. These actions prompted Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities reported that at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday. Iran, for its part, claimed that at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,000 others wounded in the Israeli assault.