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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed reports claiming that US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plot to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A recent Reuters report sparked controversy after claiming that US President Donald Trump rejected a proposed Israeli operation to assassinate Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Citing two unnamed US officials, Reuters reported that Israeli officials had approached the Trump administration with the plan in the days following Israel’s large-scale assault on Iran aimed at crippling its nuclear infrastructure.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States and Israel had been in constant communication after the Israeli strikes. They claimed that Israeli authorities had informed their American counterparts of an opportunity to eliminate Khamenei, but the proposal was ultimately dismissed by Trump. One official was quoted saying, “Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.”

'So Many False Reports': Netanyahu When Asked On Trump Report

When questioned about the Reuters report during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report With Bret Baier”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to confirm or deny the claims, dismissing the report outright. “There are so many false reports about conversations that never happened — I’m not going to get into it,” Netanyahu said.

He added, “But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we’ll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.”

Israeli National Security Advisor Also Rejects Claim

Joining Netanyahu in dismissing the report, Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi categorised the claims as “fake news of the highest order.”

Meanwhile, Trump has maintained frequent communication with Netanyahu in recent weeks. Trump, who is reportedly still hoping for renewed dialogue between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, told Reuters on Friday, “we knew everything” about the Israeli strikes.

Negotiations between the United States and Iran, which were reportedly scheduled to take place in Oman on Sunday, were cancelled following Israel’s strikes on Iranian targets. The escalation has further strained the already fragile diplomatic landscape surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.