YONI BEN MENACHEM -- Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is considered an extreme, secretive, and highly influential figure.
He is closely tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the nuclear program. Senior Israeli officials warn that he may be even more dangerous than his father.
Following Iran’s recent missile attacks on Israeli population centers and its determination to achieve the goals of its current operation, discussions have resurfaced about potentially assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. After yesterday's strike on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that “a dictator like Khamenei, who leads a regime calling for Israel’s destruction, cannot be allowed to survive.”
Intelligence officials in Israel and the West believe that if Khamenei is killed, his 56-year-old son Mojtaba is likely to succeed him.