‘Issuing Arrest Warrants Not Enough’: Iran’s Khamenei Calls For Death Sentence Against Netanyahu

Tehran: Expressing dissatisfaction with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants against Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Monday that there is enough evidence to issue death sentences and issuing arrest warrants is “not enough”.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was commenting on a decision by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence chief Gallant and a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri.

'Issue Death Sentence, Not Arrest Warrants'

“They issued an arrest warrant; that's not enough... A death sentence must be issued for these criminal leaders,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters in their report.

ICC Issues Arrest Warrant Against Israeli PM Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister, and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over their 13-month war in Gaza and the October 2023 attack on Israel respectively. Netanyahu condemned the arrest warrant against him, saying Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions.

Netanyahu condemned the arrest warrant against him, saying Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions.

The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a cease-fire to end the fighting. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court and two of the Hamas officials were killed in the conflict.