Israel warned Wednesday that any new Iranian supreme leader who continues the regime’s hostile policies will be treated as a military target.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued the threat as reports swirl that Mojtaba Khamenei has emerged as a leading contender to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed during a sweeping U.S.–Israeli military operation over the weekend.
“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz wrote Wednesday on X.
“It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” Katz continued. “The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives.”
כל מנהיג שימונה ע"י משטר הטרור האיראני כדי להמשיך ולהוביל את התוכנית להשמדת ישראל, לאיים על ארה"ב והעולם החופשי ומדינות האזור, ולדכא את העם האירני – יהיה יעד חד משמעי לחיסול.
לא חשוב מה שמו והמקום בו יסתתר.
רה"מ ואני הנחינו את צה"ל להיערך ולפעול בכל האמצעים למימוש המשימה כחלק…
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) March 4, 2026
Katz said the directive is tied to Israel’s ongoing campaign, dubbed Operation “Lion Roar,” which is being carried out alongside the U.S. military’s Operation Epic Fury.
“We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime’s capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it,” Katz added.
The threat follows the joint U.S.–Israeli military operation launched Saturday, which killed Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, according to Israeli assessments.
🎯 BREAKING: All senior leaders of Iran's Axis of Terror have been eliminated.
❌ELIMINATED: Terrorist in Chief Khamenei
❌ELIMINATED: Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah
❌ELIMINATED: Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar
❌ELIMINATED: Hamas’s Mohammed Deif
❌ELIMINATED: The Houthi’s Muhammad… pic.twitter.com/n6moe60yrH
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) March 1, 2026
Those killed reportedly included Iran’s defense minister, its intelligence chief, and the supreme leader’s top security adviser, who also served as secretary of the country’s Defense Council.
More over at The New York Post:
Ayatollah Khamenei's successor will be 'unequivocal target for elimination,' Israeli defense minister threatens https://t.co/x8nFDj5ib9 pic.twitter.com/83jOH8Petp
— New York Post (@nypost) March 4, 2026
