Won't be surprised if Iranian President is assassinated: Israeli Defence Minister

Avigdor Lieberman made allegation in an interview published on Tuesday

In a startling conversation with the Haaretz, Israel's Defence Minister has said he won't be surprised if Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was assassinated during the country's up-coming elections.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if during the Iranian election on May 19, somebody assassinates the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani,” said Avigdor Lieberman.



According to AFP, Rouhani is expected to run for a second term on May 19. Registration for the election begins on Tuesday and will continue until Saturday. Sitting presidents in Iran are expected to be modest about their ambitions, and to refrain from using state television as a campaigning platform.

In his interview to the Israeli daily, Lieberman also alleged the murder of top Hamas leader Mazen Fuqaha was an internal job. “We can say with certainty that it was an internal killing.”

“We have no beef with Hamas. Let them do what they like. We will do what we have to do, and let them look in their turf. Hamas is known for internal killings, all kinds of closing accounts,” he added.



Fuqaha, whom Israel released in a prisoner swap in 2011 and exiled to the Gaza Strip, was shot dead near his home in the Gaza Strip on March 24, 2017, Reuters reported.

In a statement released by the group, Hamas blamed Israel for the killing. "Hamas and its [military wing] hold [Israel] and its collaborators responsible for this despicable crime... [Israel] knows that the blood of fighters is not spilled in vain and Hamas will know how to act."