BREAKING: Target Iranian Regime Symbols, Mechanisms of Oppression: Israel’s New Directive to Armed Forces

New Delhi: Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said he has instructed the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to escalate military operations targeting the Iranian regime, specifically in Tehran. 

Katz said the strategy was aimed at "destabilising" Iran's ruling establishment following a deadly Iranian missile strike on an Israeli hospital.

“We must strike all symbols of the regime and its mechanisms of oppression, such as the Basij, as well as the base of the regime’s power, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Katz said during a security assessment with IDF leadership.

‘Khamenei Should Not Continue to Exist’

The remarks came just hours after Katz issued a direct warning regarding Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blaming him personally for the recent attack on Israel’s Soroka Medical Centre. 

“Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed — he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals,” Katz said while speaking to reporters in Holon. 

“A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist.”

The sharp escalation marks day eight of the ongoing military confrontation between Israel and Iran, which has now seen both sides striking deep into each other's territory. 

Israeli forces reportedly targeted Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor a key nuclear facility after issuing evacuation warnings.

The retaliatory missile barrages from Iran followed swiftly, including the one that struck the Soroka hospital, intensifying concerns over civilian safety and sparking international condemnation.

IDF ‘Knows Its Mission,’ Says Katz

Katz added that Israel's military has been fully briefed and given clear instructions. “The IDF has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man [Khamenei] absolutely should not continue to exist,” he said.