Netanyahu tells ABC he's not ruling out taking out Iran's supreme leader
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week.
When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports from ABC News and other outlets that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's supreme leader, concerned that it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu said, "It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict."
"We've had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East; has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia; is spreading terrorism and subversion and sabotage everywhere," Netanyahu said. "The 'forever war' is what Iran wants, and they're bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil."
State Department issues 'do not travel' warning for Israel
The State Department on Monday upgraded its Israel, West Bank and Gaza travel advisory to a Level 4 "do not travel" warning.
The warning comes shortly after the State Department authorized the voluntary departure of family members and nonemergency U.S. government employees "due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region," the alert said.
8 killed in Israel by overnight Iranian attacks
The death toll in Israel from Sunday night's Iranian ballistic missile strikes rose to eight people as of Monday, authorities said, as recovery efforts at impact sites continue.
At least 24 people have now been killed in Israel since the country launched its surprise attack on Iran on Friday, according to the latest figures released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Monday.
At least 224 people have been killed in Iran by Israeli strikes, Netanyahu's office said on Monday.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
IDF orders evacuation of part of Tehran
The Israel Defense Forces issued a warning to residents in District 3 of Tehran to "immediately leave" ahead of planned strikes there.
"In the coming hours, the Israeli army will take action in this area to attack the Iranian regime's military infrastructure, just as it has done in recent days around Tehran," a post to the IDF's Farsi-language X account read.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller, Dada Jovanovic and Ellie Kaufman