A plume of smoke rises following a US-Israeli military attack in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo) The joint US-Israeli attack on Iran continued on Tuesday when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked a key site linked to Tehran’s influential Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with electing the next supreme leader following the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports.
According to Iran TV PressThe building bombed by Israeli forces was the former structure of the ‘Assembly of Experts’ located south of the capital, in the city of Qom.
The Assembly of Experts, which has buildings in both Tehran and Qom, is made up of members who would help decide who is likely to take over the role following Khamenei’s assassination.
حملات هوایی به ساختمان خبرگان در میدان رسالت #قم pic.twitter.com/bkK5bTV1Y5
— ائتلاف ۱۰ ꪜ 👀 (@etelaf10) March 3, 2026
According to Iran’s semi-official report Further news agency, the building attacked by the Israeli army in the city of Qom was a former auxiliary structure that was not used for official meetings.
However, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that the IDF attacked the Assembly of Experts “as they met to elect a new supreme leader.” So far no victims have been reported in the strike.
The Israeli official added: “We wanted to prevent them from electing a new supreme leader.” Iranian news agencies reported that the building in Qom was “knocked down” by the US-Israeli attack, but added that it was not in use at the time.
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The succession meeting comes after Iran declared on Sunday the deaths of Ali Khamenei and several other senior Iranian officials in the joint US-Israeli attack.
Tehran responded to the attack by launching a barrage of missiles and drones against Israel and other Gulf countries in the region that host US bases. The death toll in Iran has risen to nearly 800 on the fourth day of the war.
