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If Iran's Khamenei falls, what would replace him?

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him speaking to members of Iran's air force in Tehran on February 7, 2025. [AFP]

Israel increasingly appears eager to oust the clerical leadership that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution but is taking a gamble given the Iranian opposition is divided and there is no guarantee new rulers would be any less hardline, analysts say.

By striking targets other than nuclear or ballistic facilities, such as Iran's IRIB broadcaster, expectations have grown that Israel has goals beyond degrading Iranian atomic and missile capabilities and eyes removing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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