Any new leader appointed by Iran is a target: Israel

Any new leader appointed by Iran’s ruling clerics would be “an unequivocal target for elimination,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday, as senior Iranian officials gathered to choose a successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

“Any leader appointed by the Iranian terrorist regime will be an unequivocal target for elimination – the Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means necessary to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation ‘Lion’s Roar,’” said Katz.

“It does not matter what his name is or where he hides,” he added.

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

An elected body of senior clerics began meeting virtually to select a new Supreme Leader after Khamenei was reportedly killed in joint US Israeli strikes late last week. 

Both Israel and the United States have said their military actions aim to weaken Iran’s regime and ultimately create conditions for a government that would restore peace to the region. 

Source: CNN Live Updates