Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that it remains unclear who is actually leading Iran, pointing to the uncertainty surrounding the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
In response to a question from a CNN anchor about whether Israel's campaign might backfire by empowering hardliners, and whether it would ultimately lead to regime change, Netanyahu acknowledged "a state of uncertainty about the situation inside Iran."
He added: "I'm not sure who is running Iran right now," noting that the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen, and that the United States claims he was injured and "disfigured" in an attack.
According to Netanyahu, the Iranian leadership may find it difficult to consolidate its power in the wake of recent developments. He added, "The power that the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei enjoyed will not be transferred to anyone else."
He also noted that Israel has begun to observe "cracks" within the Iranian leadership, describing them as part of a broader effort to weaken the regime, "which we are striving to spread as quickly as possible."
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that "Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader of Iran, was injured in his legs in the opening Israeli-American strike on Iran on February 28 on the Khamenei family compound, where his father, wife, and son were killed."
In response to these reports, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that the new Supreme Leader had been injured , but that his health was good.
