Israel carried out an airstrike on a building in the Iranian city of Qom that was reported to be hosting senior clerics of the Assembly of Experts as they convened to begin the process of selecting a successor to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Assembly, an 88-member clerical body constitutionally tasked with choosing Iran’s supreme leader, had not met for succession since it appointed Khamenei in 1989.
An Israeli security official said it was not immediately clear how many of the Assembly’s 88 members were inside the building at the time of the strike, as cited by ANI.
Iran’s state news agency, however, disputed the claim, asserting that the structure targeted was an unused, dilapidated building and not a venue for any official meeting.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Mossad intelligence service posted a message in Persian on social media stating that regardless of who is chosen to succeed Khamenei, “his fate has already been decided,” adding that only the Iranian people will ultimately determine their future leadership.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989, was assassinated on Saturday, triggering the rare convening of the Assembly of Experts to begin the process of selecting his successor.
Iran’s leadership is now moving swiftly to fill the position, marking only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen.
Potential successors reportedly range from hardliners advocating continued confrontation with the West to reformist figures who support greater diplomatic engagement.
Motjaba Khamenei, son of the slain supreme leader has emerged as his successor under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Meanwhile, Israel said it carried out airstrikes on Tuesday targeting Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research facility, as hostilities between the two sides intensified.
Iran responded with strikes against Israel and across the Gulf region, targeting US diplomatic missions and causing disruptions to energy supplies and air travel.
Four days into the conflict, which US president Donald Trump noted could last several weeks or longer, nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran.
Among the dead, Trump said, were individuals he had previously considered as potential future leaders of the country.
Explosions were reported in Tehran and in parts of Lebanon, where Israel said it struck Hezbollah militants in retaliation. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US Consulate in the United Arab Emirates were targeted in drone attacks.
Iran has launched dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel, most of which have been intercepted, though Israeli authorities said 11 people have been killed since the fighting began.
