Israel Strikes Iran’s Assembly of Experts as It Convenes to Choose Khamenei’s Successor

ByEditor

Mar 3, 2026 #Assembly of Experts strike, #Iran succession crisis, #Israel Iran conflict, #Khamenei successor attack, #Qom Assembly attacked, #Tehran war updates, #US-Israel airstrikes Iran

Femi Ashekun/

Israeli forces have struck a building associated with Iran’s Assembly of Experts as the clerical body convened to choose a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intensifying the military and political crisis gripping the Islamic Republic.

Iranian state media and local reports described the structure in the holy city of Qom that was hit as being “flattened” during the Tuesday strikes carried out by Israel and its ally the United States.

These attacks come days after the joint campaign that reportedly killed Khamenei in a wave of airstrikes and triggered a wider regional conflict.

The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body entrusted by Iran’s constitution with appointing a new supreme leader, was reported to be meeting to elect Khamenei’s successor when the strike occurred.

Iranian-affiliated news agencies claimed the attack hit the building where the assembly was gathered, though details on casualties have not been independently verified.

The targeting of this religious and constitutional body represents a significant escalation in the conflict, disrupting the process for filling one of Iran’s highest offices amid war.

Analysts note that intervening at such a sensitive political moment appears designed to complicate the regime’s ability to quickly choose a replacement.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran activated constitutional mechanisms to ensure continuity of governance.

An interim three-member council, comprised of President Masoud Pezeshkian, the judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and senior cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, has assumed supreme authority while the Assembly of Experts was expected to meet.

The strikes have thrown the succession timetable into further uncertainty, with some officials and analysts suggesting that a new supreme leader may have been elected within days under normal conditions.

The Israeli attacks on Iran’s leadership institutions follow a major joint U.S.–Israel air campaign that reportedly targeted Khamenei and dozens of senior commanders over the weekend.

Earlier reporting indicated that the strikes killed significant numbers of Iranian officials and military figures, leaving Tehran in turmoil and accelerating the ongoing regional confrontation.

Iranian forces and allied proxy groups have since responded with cross-border missile and drone operations, particularly from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, prompting further Israeli retaliatory strikes.

U.S. and Israeli officials have characterised the campaign as necessary to degrade Iran’s military capabilities and prevent future threats, although regional and international condemnation has been widespread.

Critics argue the attacks undermine international law and risk broader instability.