Israel bombs council choosing Iran's next supreme leader, official says

Barak Ravid

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Mourners for Khamenei — Iranians mourn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the city of Qom on March 1. Photo: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Israeli air force on Tuesday struck the building housing Iran's Council of Experts in the holy city of Qom in an attempt to disrupt the process of appointing a new supreme leader, an Israeli defense official said.

Why it matters: The Council of Experts is the body within the Iranian regime with the authority to appoint a new supreme leader. The clerics on the council vote on a short list of candidates being drafted by a smaller secret committee.

Former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated Saturday, along with dozens of senior Iranian leaders, in the first wave of Israeli airstrikes.

Driving the news: The Israeli defense official said the strike took place while votes were being counted. It isn't clear how many of the council's 88 members were in the building at the time, or the extent of the damage.

"We wanted to prevent them from picking a new supreme leader," the official said.

This story is breaking news. Please check back for updates.