Ofir Akunis, the consul general for Israel in New York, Thursday on Newsmax described Iran's ayatollahs as the "Nazis of our time" after a missile attack on southern Israel's main hospital and several residential buildings wounded at least 240 people.
"The ayatollahs are targeting civilian hospitals and schools, kindergartens," Akunis said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "We are not doing it. We'll continue to destroy their nuclear sites and their ballistic missiles. This is the main goal of this operation."
Iran's ayatollahs, however, "want to destroy the state of Israel," he said. "They're saying it from 1979, and they are trying to do so. We will not let them."
Akunis, meanwhile, said that Israel appreciates President Donald Trump's support against Iran, but noted that Trump will ultimately decide what is best for the United States before committing to becoming more involved.
"We are waiting to hear from the American administration about their decisions," he said. "I think, I think that we saw the ayatollahs cross all the red lines tonight ... I think they must pay the price. This is unacceptable, and they will try to target again and again and again hospitals and civilians."
He added that when the current Iranian regime took power in Tehran in 1979, it was vowing "Death to America, death to Israel."
"Why do they need the intercontinental ballistic missiles to hit, you can see, this beautiful place, this city of New York, Manhattan," said Akunis. "They want to destroy this place. They do ... I have to tell you honestly, they are saying [death] to America, to Israel, and in the middle, it's Europe."
It will be up to the Iranian people to decide if they want to overthrow their current regime, he added.
"I think that it will be much better for the Iranian people [if] the ayatollahs will not be there anymore," said Akunis. "I don't think that they like them so much ... I don't know if [they prefer] the previous regime, but they prefer something else."
He added that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, is a "cruel man."
"He's so extreme," Akunis said, adding that the ayatollah wants to force his religion on all.
"With all the respect, we will decide for ourselves and the Iranians themselves," he said. "He forced the Iranians with his ideas, radical ideas, except on women. It's terrible what they do in that country to women."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.