https://arab.news/4gbrs
The idea resurfaced last week that Israel may try to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as if he were just another easy military target in the fierce war between Israel and Iran, which may soon involve the US. President Donald Trump made it clear he opposed Israel’s move and did not support it.
This issue is far more serious than just another military objective: it could become a matter of ideology and trigger deeply dangerous cycles of revenge.
There have been times in history when warring parties refrained from targeting leaders and symbolic figures for reasons beyond direct military calculation.
For example, Emperor Hirohito of Japan was a ruler and a sacred symbol. Documents confirm that he authorized his military leaders to go to war, invade Manchuria, and carry out the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to America’s entry into the Second World War. But during the war, and on the recommendation of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the US government decided not to target him. He was also excluded from the list of Japanese leaders prosecuted after the allied victory and the occupation of Tokyo. That decision paved the way for reconciliation between the US and Japan, and helped the Japanese people accept the Americans. Hirohito remained emperor and respected until his death, living for another 45 years.
