Iran’s leadership seemed to be in turmoil, with US and Israeli strikes leaving top officials dead and the Islamic Republic appearing to have no clear succession plan.
US President Donald Trump said that at least 48 Iranian “leaders” had died, while the Institute for the Study of War noted that attacks had particularly targeted Iran’s internal security apparatus, with top intelligence, military, and police officers among the dead.
Amplifying the chaos were questions over who will replace Ali Khamenei, Iran’s late leader, who was killed in the aerial barrage over the weekend. Last summer, he identified three preferred successors, The New York Times reported: Israel says it killed at least one of them.