Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared that Israel's leaders deserve death sentences rather than arrest warrants.
His statement comes in response to the International Criminal Court's recent issuance of arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the war in Gaza.
Speaking while at the Basij paramilitary force, Khamenei vowed that "the enemy [Israel] will not win in Gaza and Lebanon," Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.
"Bombing people's houses in Gaza and Lebanon is not a victory," he said, "The fools should not think that just because they bomb people's homes, hospitals and communities, they have won. No, nobody considers this a victory."
"What the Zionists did was a war crime," he continued. "They have issued an arrest warrant, this isn't enough — a death sentence must be issued for Netanyahu. A death sentence should be issued for these criminal leaders."
On Friday, Britain suggested that Netanyahu could face arrest under the ICC warrant if he visited the country, while Ireland confirmed it would arrest him if he entered.
Israel and the United States on Thursday condemned the ICC's decision to issue warrants with President Joe Biden calling the move "outrageous."
"The UK will always comply with its legal obligations as set out by domestic law and indeed international law," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman reportedly said on Friday.
Canada, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Finland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Switzerland are among the 124 ICC member countries that have pledged to enforce the arrest warrants. Meanwhile, nations like Hungary, Czechia, and Argentina have stated they will disregard them.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban expressed solidarity with Israel, joining the U.S. in supporting Netanyahu. In a letter inviting Netanyahu to Budapest for an official visit, Orban assured the Israeli leader of his "safety and freedom."
