Israel Attacks Building Linked to the Assembly of Experts Amid Iran's Leadership Transition

Air strikes by the Israel Defence Forces hit a building linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts in Qom, several days after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed. The attack comes as Iran begins a leadership transition to determine a new supreme leader. The Assembly of Experts, which comprises 88 clerics, is tasked with appointing, supervising, and potentially dismissing the supreme leader. Tasnim News Agency reported that the attackers were American-Zionist criminals; the building in Qom, south of Tehran, was said to be where senior clerics were gathering to discuss the selection of the new leader. An IDF spokesperson, Brigadier-General Effie Defrin, confirmed the air strike on a building in Qom. He said the location was reported to be a gathering site for senior clerics discussing the selection of the new supreme leader. However, defence sources said there was no certainty about how many Assembly members were present at the time of the strike. Israeli Channel 12 reported that none of the 88 members were in the building when the strike occurred. Unnamed sources stated that only administrative staff counting votes for the next leader were present. Defrin said the impact of the strike was still under assessment. Local media footage showed the building sustaining significant damage. There has been no official information on casualties. Mehr News Agency claimed the building was old and not used for meetings. Tasnim also reported that the Assembly’s Tehran headquarters had been attacked the day prior. The Iranian government announced the start of the leadership transition after confirming Khamenei’s death. The process includes forming a temporary leadership council comprising the president, the head of the judiciary, and a legal expert from the Guardian Council, the body that oversees legislation and screens electoral candidates. Another figure named as pivotal in the transition phase is Ali Larijani, described as Iran’s security chief. The temporary leadership council will run the government until a new supreme leader is appointed.