Israel’s security establishment is closely monitoring the pilgrimage by senior terrorists to Tehran to attend the funeral of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Parts of the ceremony were intended to normalize and validate the status of Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, Israeli security officials told Walla.
The younger Khamenei was seriously wounded during the targeted killing of his father and was said to be afraid to attend the funeral. Many other leaders and senior officials also chose not to attend and instead sent representatives.
Iran is gradually restoring Internet service because of economic pressure, according to the Israeli security establishment. Nevertheless, Iranian authorities have long proven their ability to control the street and shape public discourse.
Tehran is also working around the clock to restore its military capabilities and rehabilitate its economy, which remains under severe sanctions. So far, there has been no change in the economy's severe underlying condition, which has become the main source of pressure on the regime.
IDF preparing for the possibility that fighting with Iran will resume
Even though US President Donald Trump has said Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, Israel has remained outside the talks and is not directly or indirectly involved in the negotiations. As a result, the Israeli security establishment is deeply concerned that it could be caught off guard by decisions made by Washington and Tehran.
The IDF continues to prepare for a scenario in which fighting with Iran resumes, including concrete intelligence about threats to the Israeli home front that would require immediate military action.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir reviews and approves the defensive and offensive operational plan every week, while the Military Intelligence Directorate continues to expand the target bank and validate existing targets.
Mojtaba Khamenei's intense desire for revenge
The IDF believes the war exacted a heavy price from Iran. Israeli officials also believe, however, that the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are not close to collapse and have already begun the rehabilitation process.
The working assumption is that Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father quite literally “died in his hands,” is filled with an intense desire for revenge, according to an Israeli senior security official. That desire stems not only from the humiliation the Iranian regime suffered at the hands of the IDF, but also from his father’s elimination, the official said.
The desire for revenge is being fueled by IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, the official added.
Meanwhile, another senior security official said if Hezbollah attacks the Israeli home front, the IDF would respond by striking targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb.
Such a scenario would once again force Tehran to decide whether to launch ballistic missiles toward Israel or exercise restraint and stand down.