WATCH: Israel bombs Iran building with ‘meeting underway’ to choose next Supreme Leader
The IDF struck a building linked to Iran’s Assembly of Experts in Qom amid reports of a leadership succession process after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death.
A plume of smoke rises following a US-Israeli military strike in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo)
The US and Israel’s joint strike against Iran continued on Tuesday as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a key site linked to Tehran’s influential Assembly of Experts which is tasked to choose the next supreme leader following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports stated.
According to Iran’s Press TV, the building bombed by Israeli forces was the old structure of the ‘Assembly of Experts’ located south of the capital in the city of Qom.
Smoke rises after an Iranian drone attack in the port area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday. (Source: AP/PTI)
The Assembly of Experts, which has buildings in both Tehran and Qom, consists of members who would help in deciding who is likely to assume the role after Khamenei’s killing.
According to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, the building attacked by the Israeli military in Qom city was an old auxiliary structure that was not used for official meetings.
However, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News quoted a senior Israeli official who said the IDF struck the Assembly of Experts “while they were convening to choose a new supreme leader.” No casualties in the strike have been reported till now.
The Israeli official added, “We wanted to prevent them from picking a new supreme leader.” Iran’s news agencies reported that the building in Qom was “flattened” by US-Israeli strike but added that it wasn’t in use at the time.
The succession meeting comes after Iran on Sunday declared the death of Ali Khamenei and several other top Iranian officials in US-Israel’s joint strike.
Tehran has responded to the attack by launching a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel and other Gulf countries in the region which house US bases. The death toll in Iran has risen to nearly 800 on the fourth day of the war.
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A plume of smoke rises following a US-Israeli military strike in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo) 
