Whoever is chosen to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader will be “an unequivocal target for elimination”, said Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday.

In a social media post, Katz said: “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people…will be an unequivocal target for elimination.”

“We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to crush the regime's capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow it and replace it,” he added.

The statement came after Khamenei was killed in a joint military operation by Israel and the United States on Saturday. The two countries had launched the operation to “degrade the capabilities” of the Iranian government.

The attacks came amid tensions between the three countries regarding Tehran’s nuclear programme. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance.

Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.

Iran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, and targeting major cities in other Gulf countries and some ships.

The killing of Khamenei, a significant figure among Shia Muslims globally, further escalated an already volatile situation in the region. He had controlled all branches of the Iranian government and the armed forces since 1989.

After Khamenei’s killing, senior Iranian cleric Alireza Arafi was named the jurist member of the temporary leadership council responsible for carrying out the supreme leader’s duties during the transition period until a successor is selected under Iran’s constitutional process.

Under Iran’s constitutional mechanism, the interim council comprises President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and a cleric from the Guardian Council.

The body will jointly oversee the country during the transition period until the Assembly of Experts “elects a permanent leader”.

Arafi is a senior cleric who serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts and has been a member of the Guardian Council, which vets election candidates and legislation, CNN reported.

He also heads Iran’s seminary system.