Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin NetanyahuFlash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday responded to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s latest statement against Israel.

"We say again - those who threaten Israel with extermination place themselves in similar danger," said Netanyahu after Khamenei stated earlier that "Israel is a cancerous growth in the Middle East."

Speaking on the occasion of the Iranian Al-Quds Day in Tehran, Khamenei threatened that "the Zionist virus will not last long and the Zionist regime will not survive - and will be destroyed.”

The comments mark the second time this week that Khamenei has threatened Israel. Earlier this week, the Supreme Leader posted a tweet in which he threatened to implement the Nazi "Final Solution" against Israel.

After Netanyahu responded to those threats, Khamenei asserted that, in using the term “Final Solution”, he did not refer to Jews but rather only to the State of Israel.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz also replied to Khamenei’s threats earlier on Friday and said, "I do not suggest that anyone test us. The State of Israel and the Zionist dream are a fact on the ground, in contrast to the Iranian satellites that are trying to establish themselves and undermine stability."

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)