Israeli Defense Minister Katz. Photo Thanassis Stavrakis / AP Photo / dpa / picture alliance.
On March 4, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that any new leader who takes the place of Ayatollah Khamenei and continues his course will become a "definite target for elimination" — regardless of their name and location. Katz emphasized that this applies to those who pose a threat to Israel, the U.S., and neighboring countries, as well as "oppress the Iranian people," according to DW.
This warning came against the backdrop of unconfirmed reports that on March 3, the Assembly of Experts in Iran selected a new supreme leader for the country. According to the Iranian opposition channel Iranian International and DW, citing their sources, the new leader is Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, Tehran denied these rumors.
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On February 28, Israel and the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran. At that time, Donald Trump announced plans to destroy the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic.Iran responded by launching attacks on Israeli territory and other countries in the Middle East where U.S. military bases are located. Strikes were carried out against Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai (UAE), as well as Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
As a result of the American-Israeli attack, the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed. His wife, Mansoureh Khodjasteh, also died from her injuries.
Donald Trump stated that the military operation in Iran would last about four weeks. In response, Iran declared jihad against the U.S. and Israel, emphasizing that there would be no negotiations.
The situation in the Middle East is affecting the entire world, including Kyrgyzstan. Currently, thousands of tourists are stranded in the UAE. Contact information for embassies and consulates for Kyrgyz citizens abroad is available here.
