Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has declared that any leader appointed by Iran’s regime will be an “unconditional target for elimination,” as the US-Israeli military operation enters its fifth day following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior Iranian officials.
Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the IDF to prepare to “use all means” as part of the ongoing military operation, adding Israel will continue working with the U.S. to weaken regime capabilities.
“It doesn’t matter what his name is or where he hides. The Prime Minister and I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare and act by all means necessary to carry out this mission. We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime’s capabilities and create the conditions for its overthrow.
The unprecedented declaration comes after the joint US-Israeli Operation “Roar of the Lion” killed Khamenei on Saturday along with Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour, Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, and numerous other senior military and political figures.
In a stunning follow-up strike, Israel bombed the Assembly of Experts building while votes were being counted to select Khamenei’s successor. “We wanted to prevent them from picking a new supreme leader,” an Israeli defense official said. It isn’t clear how many of the council’s 88 members were in the building at the time, or the extent of the damage.
IDF officials said the Air Force carried out a wave of strikes in Tehran targeting dozens of Basij and Iranian internal security headquarters used by the regime. The IDF said it also struck ground force supply and logistics systems, missile launchers and air defense systems.
The conflict has rapidly escalated beyond Iran’s borders. A ballistic missile fired from Iran has hit the Al-Udeid base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, according to the Qatari Ministry of Defense.
A suspected Iranian drone crashed into the runway at the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, with limited damage and no casualties. Two drones headed for the base were intercepted by Cypriot authorities.
Two drones targeted a U.S. military base and a hotel in the Iraqi city of Erbil, security sources told Reuters.
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, halting 20% of global oil supplies and sending crude prices soaring past $79 per barrel, while Iran has launched massive retaliatory strikes against Israeli and American targets across the Middle East.
President Trump has called for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to surrender, offering “total immunity” or warning of “certain death,” while pushing for complete regime change in Tehran.
The brazen Israeli strategy of targeting any future Iranian leader represents an unprecedented escalation in Middle Eastern conflict, effectively declaring perpetual war against Iran’s governing structure regardless of who attempts to assume leadership—a policy that raises profound questions about international law, sovereignty, and the potential for endless regional warfare.