Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was lightly injured during early strikes in the conflict but remains active, an Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
Khamenei has not appeared publicly or issued a statement since being selected by a clerical assembly to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of US and Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Iranian state television has referred to the new leader as a "wounded veteran" of the conflict.
Seen as a hardliner closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mojtaba Khamenei had long been considered the leading contender to take over the country's leadership. Officials say he played a key role behind the scenes for years running his father's office, though he has remained relatively unknown to the wider Iranian public.