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Targeting Senior Officials in Iran Makes It Harder for the Regime to Function
(Ha'aretz) Dr. Meir Javedanfar - Targeting senior Iranian officials can be strategically beneficial, as competent commanders or politicians may be replaced by less capable successors. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's successor, his son, Mojtaba, never held any official position or ministry. He had always worked behind the scenes, exploiting his father's status to get what he wanted - not through his own skills or connections. Therefore, Mojtaba Khamenei's rule as Supreme Leader is expected to significantly harm the functioning of the Iranian regime. The positions held by slain senior officials are usually filled by individuals who are more hardline than their predecessors. This serves Israeli interests, as public animosity towards the regime increases the more extremist its figures are. Senior officials in Iran are convinced that the Mossad is watching their every move. Consequently, they become increasingly suspicious and paranoid. This will have a significant impact on their performance. While the regime cannot be toppled through targeted killings, this strategy may still severely impair the regime's operational capabilities. The writer is an Iran scholar at Reichman University.