Israel Strikes Tehran After Khamenei Killed
The Middle East conflict has escalated dramatically after the joint U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader. Israel has now struck targets in the heart of Tehran, with smoke rising over the capital for a second day. In response, Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states, vowing massive retaliation.
With no designated successor, the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei triggers a formal constitutional process to choose Iran's next leader. The responsibility falls to the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body of senior clerics, which has only performed this duty once before when it selected Khamenei in 1989. Until the Assembly makes its decision, a temporary three-person council assumes the Supreme Leader's duties. This Provisional Leadership Council is composed of Iran's President, Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and a cleric from the Guardian Council. Potential long-term successors include Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, though a hereditary succession is controversial and reportedly opposed by his father. Other names frequently mentioned are judiciary chief Mohseni Ejei and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the Republic's founder. The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is expected to wield significant influence over the final choice. This direct conflict follows decades of a proxy war and a brief but intense 12-day war in June 2025 that degraded Iran's missile stockpiles. The current joint US-Israeli campaign, reportedly dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," involved hundreds of strikes in its initial hours aimed at suppressing air defenses and retaliatory capabilities. In response, Iran's missile barrages have targeted not only Israel but also U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. This marks a significant escalation from previous conflicts where retaliation was often carried out through regional proxies. Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in Lebanon, has condemned the assassination but has so far stopped short of joining the fight. The group's capabilities were severely degraded during conflicts with Israel in 2024, and it did not intervene in the June 2025 war either. The international response has been divided. The UN Security Council has called for an emergency meeting, while Russia and China have condemned the US-Israeli strikes. Gulf Arab nations have denounced Iran's retaliatory attacks on their territory, and the UK has stated its forces in the region are operating purely in a defensive capacity.
