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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Wednesday to assassinate any Iranian leader chosen to succeed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran, as Iran announced a three-day state funeral for its slain leader.
"Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides," Katz said in a post on X.
Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the Israeli army to prepare and act with all means to carry out this mission as an integral part of Operation Roaring Lion's objectives.
"We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime's capabilities and to create the conditions for the Iranian people to topple and replace it," he said.
Iran will hold a three-day state funeral for Khamenei, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.
Starting at 10:00 p.m. local time (1830 GMT), the public will be able to pay final homage to Khamenei's body by visiting the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, IRNA said, citing a statement from the Islamic Development Coordination Council.
Khamenei was 86 years old when he was killed. He will be buried in his home city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.
A phone call between Trump and Netanyahu in late February played a decisive role in launching the military campaign against Iran, the American news platform Axios reported, citing officials.
Netanyahu called Trump on Feb. 23, sharing intelligence that Khamenei and his senior advisers would be gathered at the same location in Tehran on Feb. 28, according to the report.
The previously undisclosed call was made from the White House Situation Room.
Netanyahu conveyed that the gathering could be targeted with a single airstrike. At Trump's direction, the CIA verified the Israeli intelligence, according to the report.
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After the confirmation, Trump concluded that the intelligence was reliable and that diplomatic options had been exhausted. He gave final approval for the attack on Feb. 27, the report said.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 while negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear program were still underway under Oman's mediation.
The strikes killed Khamenei along with numerous senior officials. The Iranian Red Crescent has reported 787 people killed in the bombardments.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
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