The Israeli Air Force carried out a strike on a high-level meeting on Wednesday in Iran where senior clerics had assembled to choose a successor to the slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, according to multiple reports. The Assembly of Experts, comprising 88 members, was gathered in Qom when an overnight airstrike hit the building.
The strike came as the clerics were in the middle of counting votes to appoint the next supreme leader. It's still unclear how many members of the Assembly of Experts were present for the vote when the building was hit. Photos circulating online from Qom appear to show the structure reduced to rubble after the blast.
Lethal Strike
The attack reportedly left the building completely flattened, though there have been no confirmed reports of injuries or deaths so far. Iran's leadership was thrown into turmoil after Khamenei's death on Saturday, as the country's constitution places the responsibility of choosing a new supreme leader on the Assembly of Experts.
While there is no fixed deadline to appoint a successor, Iran's constitution requires the Assembly of Experts to act as quickly as possible.
The assembly has said the process "won't take long," though officials have suggested a decision could be delayed over concerns that a new leader might be immediately targeted by the US and Israel.
The Assembly of Experts is made up of publicly elected clerics who are vetted by Iran's Guardian Council.
Until the assembly is able to hold a vote, Iran will be governed by a temporary three-member council made up of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Alireza Arafi, who serves as the Guardian Council's representative.
Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the parliament speaker known for ending speeches with chants of "Death to America," are believed to be among the leading contenders to succeed Khamenei.
Unsafe to Choose Successor
The strike came as the Israeli Air Force deployed around 100 fighter jets, dropping more than 250 bombs on a "leadership complex" in Tehran, located north of Qom.
The attack hit Tehran's presidential bureau, the headquarters of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and several compounds used by the country's political and military leadership, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
"The leadership complex of the terror regime is one of the most secured assets in Iran and spans many streets in the heart of Tehran," the IDF said in a statement.
"The leadership and security officials of the terror regime convened in the compound frequently, and from there conducted, among other things, situation assessments regarding the Iranian nuclear program and the advancement of the plan to destroy the State of Israel," the Israeli military added.
Along with Ali Khamenei, US officials estimate that at least 47 other senior Iranian figures were killed within the first 48 hours of the war.
