Israel Threatens Iran's New Leader

0:00On March 4, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, has warned that any new leader chosen by Iran to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Kamenei's assassination. Kamenei died in recent United States and Israeli strikes on Tehran, and Katz made the threat amid reports that Kamenei's son, Mojtaba, is now the top pick to take over. Mojtaba Kamenei, who is 56 years old, has deep connections to Iran's revolutionary garcore, the powerful military force. Even though he is not a senior cleric and holds no official government position, he gained influence during the Iran-Iraq war and is operated behind the scenes for years. Many in Iran oppose a father-to-son handover, seeing it as too much like the old monarchy overthrown in the 1979 revolution. Kamenei himself reportedly resisted naming his son as successor last year and left him off a short list of candidates. Pressure from the revolutionary guards has pushed Mojtaba forward, especially after heavy losses among Iran's top military leaders in the ongoing conflict.

1:04His ties to the guards and a volunteer paramilitary group give him strong backing despite his lack of religious credentials. As Iran moves quickly to name a new Supreme Leader, tensions with Israel and its allies remain sky high with the situation unfolding by the hour.