A retired American general predicted that “neither Israel nor the US will fully succeed in replacing the Iranian regime.”
Former Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz was quoted by Israel Hayom newspaper as making this comment. The joint American and Israeli missions against Iran, called Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion, will enter their twentieth day on Thursday.
“In my professional assessment, neither Israel nor the US will fully succeed in replacing the Iranian regime. The main reason is that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of Iranian religious leaders who could replace the Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah, if he is eliminated,” Schwartz said. Israel told Hayom.
“No matter how many successors you kill one after another, there will always be another one in line. Iran’s intelligence and security apparatus, the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian military also have depth. They are capable of replacing the top of the organization if it is destroyed,” he reportedly added.
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Retired Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz, left, and Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, right. (U.S. Department of State; Rouhollah Vahdati/ISNA/WANA via Reuters)
Schwartz is a career Green Beret who served 33 years in the U.S. Army, according to The National Special Forces Green Beret Memorial, where he serves as chairman of the advisory board.
The organization said: “During his career, Mark has served throughout the Middle East, Europe and North Africa,” and “he has had the opportunity to lead strategic planning and operations in partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United Nations, the European Union and the U.S. Agency for International Development.”
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Recent images shared by US Central Command showed attacks on aircraft during the war with Iran. (US Central Command at X)
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had warned on Wednesday that if the Iranian regime survives Operation Epic Fury, “it will likely seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its military, missile and UAV forces.”
Gabbard also said the intelligence community “believes that Operation Epic Fury is promoting fundamental changes in the region, which began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and continued with last year’s 12-day war, resulting in a weakening of Iran and its allies.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed at the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026. (Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images)
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The campaign so far has resulted in the assassination of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been replaced by his son Mojtaba Khamenei.
