Iran 'elects new Supreme Leader' as Israel issues chilling warning

 Iran has selected a new Supreme Leader after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike last week, with Israel issuing a chilling warning to his potential successor. Ahmad Alamolhoda, a member of the panel, told state media that a leader had been chosen after an election - without naming who had been selected.

"The vote to appoint the leader has taken place and the leader has been chosen," said Alamolhoda. He added the head of the Secretariat of the Assembly of Experts, Hosseini Bushehri, who is currently responsible for publicly announcing the decision, will do so later today, the semi-official Mehr news agency reports. Ayatollah Heidari, also a member of the Assembly, said that the "best" option, which is approved by the majority of the Assembly of Experts, has been chosen, according to ISNA news agency.

Since Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli operation, his son Mojtaba has emerged as a favourite to succeed him.

Mojtaba, 56, has strong ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which reportedly pressured the Assembly of Experts to select him, Iran International reported.

Despite this connection to the military branch, he is not a high-ranking cleric and has never held an official role in the regime. He did, however, serve in the Iranian armed forces during the war with Israel.

It comes after Israel's military issued a chilling warning to Iran that it will continue pursuing every successor of the country's deceased supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In a post on X, the IDF's Farsi-language account said they will not "hesitate to target" every successor.

The full post read: "Iran's Assembly of Experts, which has not convened for decades, will soon gather in the city of Qom.

"We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor.

"We warn all those who intend to participate in the successor selection meeting that we will not hesitate to target you either. This is a warning!"