Israeli Opposition Leader: Killing Ali Khamenei Was a Mistake

TEL AVIV — Yair Golan, an Israeli opposition leader from the Democrats party, said the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran was a “mistake”. Golan made the remarks in an interview at an event in Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, the Times of Israel reported on Friday (9 October 2026).

“I think unequivocally that killing Khamenei the father was a mistake,” Golan said.

“Not because he did not deserve to die, but because it served the interests of the State of Israel,” Golan said, noting that Ali Khamenei was 86.

Golan claimed that the succession by Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, had left Iran under the leadership of a “more extreme and hard-line individual”.

Golan also criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for pursuing the “unrealistic goal” of overthrowing Iran’s government, saying that the objective had not been achieved.