“I want to emphasize that Israel will continue to pursue Khamenei’s successor and anyone who tries to appoint him,” Avichai Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, warned on X.

Adraee’s threats coincide with preparations by the Assembly of Experts, composed of 88 clerics, to choose the nation’s new Supreme Leader.

Regional media outlets consider Mukhta Khamenei, 56, the favorite to succeed his father.

Last week, Israeli aircraft bombed the Assembly’s headquarters, located in the city of Qom.

Following Khamenei’s assassination, and until the election of his successor, the country is governed by a three-member interim council comprised of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council.

In the early hours of the conflict, Israeli and American attacks also resulted in the deaths of Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Mohammed Pakpour; Army Chief of Staff Abdol Rahim Mousavi; Security Advisor Ali Shamkhani; and several high-ranking intelligence officials.

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