In a sharp warning aimed at Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz drew a chilling parallel with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. During a high-level security meeting with Israeli military and intelligence officials, Katz stated that if Iran continues launching missiles at Israeli civilians and committing war crimes, Khamenei could face a similar fate.

Katz referenced the Israeli strike on the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, as part of a broader campaign targeting extensions of Iran’s regime. He added, “The Iranian dictator would do well to remember the fate of the leader in the neighbouring country who chose the same path against the State of Israel.” Saddam Hussein, who launched missiles at Israel during the 1991 Gulf War, was eventually overthrown, captured, and executed after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

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Who Was Saddam Hussein?

Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 and a central figure in Middle Eastern politics for decades. Born in 1937 near Tikrit, Iraq, he joined the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 1957. He rose to power through the 1968 coup that brought the Ba'ath Party to power, becoming vice president and later, in 1979, Iraq’s president.

Under Saddam’s rule, Iraq saw economic nationalisation, expanded healthcare and education, and heavy militarisation. However, his reign was marked by internal purges, brutal crackdowns on dissent, and devastating wars. He led Iraq into the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and invaded Kuwait in 1990, prompting the Gulf War. His use of chemical weapons against Kurds and brutal suppression of uprisings drew international condemnation.

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Fall And Execution Of Saddam

In 2003, the US-led coalition invaded Iraq, accusing Saddam of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, claims later found to be unsubstantiated. His regime collapsed swiftly. Saddam was found hiding in a hole near Tikrit in December 2003. He was later tried by the Iraqi High Tribunal, convicted of crimes against humanity, and executed by hanging on December 30, 2006

The stark warning from Katz comes amid a fifth day of intense airstrikes between Iran and Israel. US President Donald Trump, after leaving the G7 Summit in Canada, warned of the risk of full-blown regional conflict. He denied reaching out to Iran for peace talks, dismissing claims made by French President Emmanuel Macron.