Israel struck the Assembly of Experts complex in Qom, which elects Iran's supreme leader. This occurred on the fourth day of the American-Israeli war against Iran.
Israel struck a complex belonging to the organization responsible for electing Iran's next supreme leader, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing an Israeli source, writes UNN.
Details
This is the latest strike at the heart of the regime on the fourth day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
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"The strike targeted the Assembly of Experts complex in the holy city of Qom as its members were voting to elect the country's next leader," the source said, but Iranian state media said the building had been evacuated before the attack.
Images of the aftermath of the strike appear to show the complex destroyed, with large plumes of smoke rising from it.
The Assembly – an 88-member body of high-ranking officials who will appoint the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on Saturday – is expected to convene soon to discuss possible candidates before appointing Khamenei's successor.
On Monday evening, the Assembly of Experts complex in the capital Tehran was also targeted by US-Israeli strikes, state media reported.
Meanwhile, according to the Iranian news agency Mehr, "Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who some analysts have long considered a potential successor, is alive."
"Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the supreme leader, is in perfect health," the publication reported.
The publication added that Mojtaba is also considering "important issues" related to the country, without providing details.
Mojtaba, the supreme leader's second son, is believed to have behind-the-scenes influence, with deep ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful military force in Iran, as well as to the Basij, its volunteer paramilitary network.
Nevertheless, any move towards succession from father to son will face political and religious challenges within Iran, the publication notes. A dynastic-style transfer of power is not favored in the Shiite clerical tradition, especially in a system that emerged from a revolution that overthrew the monarchy.
There are also practical obstacles: Mojtaba is not widely known as a high-ranking cleric and does not hold any official state position. The United States imposed sanctions on him in 2019.
