Israeli FM claims Iran leadership weakened, says $10M target “neutralized for free”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that a high-profile Iranian figure with a $10 million bounty on his head had been “neutralized for free,” according to remarks made during a joint press conference in Jerusalem with his Estonian counterpart, AzerNEWS reports.

Speaking about recent operations targeting Iran and Lebanon, Saar claimed that Israeli actions had eliminated key figures, including Ali Larijani, a Basij commander, and his deputy.

“Larijani, the Basij leader, and his deputy were neutralized, and Iranians will be safer without them. There was a $10 million bounty on Ali Larijani - we did it for free,” Saar said.

The Israeli foreign minister emphasized that weakening Iran’s ruling system is necessary to enable its people to eventually overthrow it.

According to Saar, eliminating what he described as an “existential threat” from Iran is crucial to preventing recurring cycles of war.

He added that Iran’s leadership has already been significantly weakened, stating:

“The Iranian regime has been substantially weakened, and today’s Iran is not the same as it was three weeks ago.”