‘Any leader selected…’: Even before Khamenei’s funeral, Israel puts successor on ‘assassination’ notice

Even before assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral takes place, Israel on Wednesday said any successor to him is a “target for assassination”.

A banner of Iran�s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali?Khamenei is seen next to a building damaged by an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on March?3,?2026. The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran spread across the Middle East, threatening to plunge the global economy into chaos, with Lebanon and Gulf energy exporters dragged into the conflict. (Photo by AFP) (AFP)
A banner of Iran�s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali?Khamenei is seen next to a building damaged by an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on March?3,?2026. The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran spread across the Middle East, threatening to plunge the global economy into chaos, with Lebanon and Gulf energy exporters dragged into the conflict. (Photo by AFP) (AFP)

Israel-US joint strikes on the weekend killed Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei, a target for long over Tel Aviv and Washington’s staunch objection to the so-called nuclear ambition of Iran. Track US-Iran war news live

Iran will hold a three-day state funeral for Khamenei, AFP news agency reported, citing official news agency Irna.

“Starting at 10:00 pm (1830 GMT), the faithful will be able to pay a final homage to the body of the martyred guide of the nation, by visiting the Imam Khomenei grand mosque” in Tehran, Irna said, citing a statement from the Islamic Development Coordination Council.

Khamenei, 86, will be buried in his home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

Israel’s assassination warning as Mojtaba’s name floats as successor

Ahead of the funeral and amid reports of Khamenei’s son Mojtaba being named as the successor, Israel defence minister Israel Katz threatened on Wednesday to assassinate any Iranian leader picked to succeed the 86-year old Shia Muslim cleric.

“Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel’s destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides,” Katz said in a post on X.

Amid suspense over who takes the thrown after Khamenei’s assassination, reports surfaced late Tuesday from Israeli Media that his son Mojtaba has been chosen as the successor.

Katz said it does not matter what the successor’s name is “or the place where he hides.”

“The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation “Lion’s Roar,” the Israeli defence minister said on X.

“We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime’s capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it,” he said.

Senior Israeli officials told Ynet news that the Assembly is expected to formally announce Mojtaba Khamenei as successor soon. However, no independent confirmation has come from official Iran state media on the development.

Two Iranian cited in a Reuters report confirmed that Mojtaba survived the assault on the country by US and Israeli air strikes that killed his father and several military and other influential figures.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military reportedly targeted Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the clerical body tasked with choosing the next supreme leader, on Tuesday.

Both Iranian and Israeli media reported a strike on an Assembly of Experts site in Qom, a city south of Tehran. But the outcome reported was different, according to a Bloomberg report which mentioned information from the multiple reports. Israel’s Kan News, citing a senior Israeli official, said the assembly was meeting to pick a replacement for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said no such meeting was taking place at the time.

Fars, another Iranian news agency, said the assembly is conducting voting sessions remotely and by other secure methods. The announcement of a new leader could come soon, it reported.

(with inputs from Bloomberg)

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