Israel warned on Wednesday that any new leader appointed by Iran’s ruling clerical establishment would become an “unconditional target for elimination.”
The statement comes as senior Iranian clerics are reportedly convening to select a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Any leader appointed by the Iranian terrorist regime will become an unconditional target for elimination. The Prime Minister and I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare and use all necessary means to carry out this mission, which is an integral part of the objectives of Operation ‘Lion’s Roar,’” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Katz added that Israel, together with its American partners, would continue efforts aimed at weakening the Iranian leadership.
“It does not matter what his name is or where he hides. Together with our American partners, we will continue to act with full force to destroy the regime’s capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow this regime and replace it,” he said.
Iran’s leadership crisis comes after Ayatollah Khamenei was reportedly killed in initial strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Saturday. Since then, Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the clerical body responsible for appointing the supreme leader — has been holding virtual meetings to select his successor. Khamenei had not officially named a successor before his death.
Both Israel and the United States have argued that the strikes could create conditions for political change in Iran and potentially allow the Iranian people to establish a democratic government.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump has suggested the possibility of a scenario similar to Venezuela, where US forces detained the country’s president while parts of the existing state apparatus remained in place.
Unconfirmed reports circulating on Tuesday suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, may have been chosen as his successor. However, this information has not yet been officially confirmed.
