Last night the IDF assassinated another batch of high-level regime leaders, including the head of the Basij forces, his deputy, and Iran’s most senior remaining military official, Ali Larijani.

The New York Times reported that in the days following Ali Khamenei’s assassination, Iran’s political establishment fractured over his succession. 

The hardline faction, led by the Revolutionary Guards commander, backed Mojtaba Khamenei. The moderate faction, led by Larijani and President Pezeshkian, opposed him, arguing the country needed a unifying figure—and that Mojtaba would simply be next on Israel’s list. Despite IRGC intimidation when the Assembly of Experts finally voted, a third of them voted against Khamenei junior.