Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has warned that any Iranian leader chosen to replace Ali Khamenei could become a target for assassination.
Katz made the statement on Wednesday after reports emerged that Iran was considering a successor following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint United States and Israeli strikes on Tehran.
Among those reportedly being considered is Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Iranian leader. He is widely mentioned as a possible candidate to take over the country’s highest political and religious office.
Reacting to the development, Katz issued a warning on social media. He said Israel would target any leader who continues policies it considers hostile.
He wrote, “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.”
Although Mojtaba has been linked to Iran’s political leadership for years, he is not regarded as a senior religious scholar and has never held an official position in the government. However, he served in Iran’s armed forces during the Iran Iraq war and is believed to wield influence behind the scenes.
His possible rise to power has generated debate within Iran because leadership passing from father to son could resemble the hereditary system that existed under the Shah before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Despite the concerns, many of Iran’s senior officials were killed during the recent conflict, leaving fewer powerful figures within the leadership structure.
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump also commented on the situation during a press conference at the White House.
Speaking about the possible emergence of a new Iranian leader, Trump said he was worried that the replacement might not be any different from the previous leadership.
“I guess the worst case would be we do this and then somebody takes over who’s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don’t want that to happen. It would probably be the worst,” he said.
He continued, “You go through this and then in five years, you realise you put somebody in who was no better. So we’d like to see somebody in there that’s going to bring it back for the people.”
Trump also spoke about the military situation, saying the United States and Israel currently have the upper hand.
“We have them very much beaten militarily, from the military standpoint. They’re still lobbing some missiles,” he said.
“They won’t even be able to do that because we’re hitting all of their carriers. We’re hitting all of their missile stock … and we’re knocking out a lot.”
The conflict between Israel and Iran has now entered its fifth day, with both sides continuing to launch attacks across different parts of the Middle East.
Israeli forces reportedly carried out fresh strikes on military positions in Tehran after an Iranian drone attack triggered a fire near the United States consulate in Dubai.
Iran also launched retaliatory strikes targeting several locations in the Gulf region, including areas believed to host American military facilities.
The violence has also spread to Lebanon, where explosions were reported in Beirut following exchanges of rocket fire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Authorities in Kuwait also confirmed that an 11 year old girl was killed after falling debris struck her during waves of Iranian attacks across the Gulf region.
At the same time, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they now have “complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route used for transporting a significant portion of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
The Guards warned that ships attempting to pass through the waterway could face danger from missiles or drones.
Iranian forces also said they had launched more than 40 missiles in a new round of attacks targeting American and Israeli positions.
