A strike in central Tehran targeted the family of the newly appointed Iranian commander-in-chief, resulting in multiple fatalities including his wife and mother, Iranian authorities reported. The commander-in-chief reportedly sustained leg injuries in the attack.
Target for Death
According to three unnamed Iranian officials cited by the New York Times, the commander-in-chief suffered injuries to his legs but remains alert and is sheltering in a secure location with limited communication. Two Israeli military officials corroborated this information to the newspaper.
Analysts predict the commander-in-chief will remain out of public view for an extended period, citing the fate of his father, wife, and mother who were killed in the initial attack. Emile Hokayem, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, stated he expects the commander-in-chief “to sit in a bunker somewhere for a very long time.”
Hokayem added that eliminating him remains a priority for Israel, as his survival would establish him as a symbol of the system’s resilience. He anticipates the commander-in-chief will delegate governmental power to national security chief Ali Larijani and the war effort to parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
The Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have both pledged allegiance to the commander-in-chief, as have the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also offered “unwavering support.”
Prior to his nomination, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the commander-in-chief would be “unacceptable” as the new Supreme Leader, stating he would not “last long” without U.S. approval.
The former Supreme Leader lived the latter part of his life with a partially paralyzed arm, the result of an assassination attempt in 1981. The Iranian Supreme Leader is appointed by an 88-member committee of clerics and serves a lifetime appointment, also functioning as a religious guide for Shia Muslims.
State television described the commander-in-chief as a “wounded veteran of the Ramadan war,” without providing further details. His image has been prominently displayed on billboards in Tehran, including one depicting him receiving the national flag from his father alongside Ruhollah Khomeini. Demonstrators at a recent rally in Tehran brandished posters of him, while opposition to his leadership has been expressed through nighttime chants of “Death to Mojtaba!”
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