Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that any successor to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, will be "a target" for assassination, according to a statement from his office, AFP reports, writes Agerpres.

'Any leader appointed by the Iranian terrorist regime will be an unequivocal target for elimination,' Israel Katz said.

"The prime minister and I have ordered the army to prepare to act by any means necessary to accomplish this mission," he added.

The state funeral for Ali Khamenei, who led Iran for 36 years, will begin on Wednesday evening and last for three days, according to the official Irna news agency.

"Starting at 10 p.m. on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. GMT), believers will be able to pay their last respects to the body of the nation's martyred leader by going to the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque" in Tehran, Irna said, citing a statement from the Islamic Development Coordination Council.

Ali Khamenei, killed Saturday in Israeli-American attacks at the age of 86, is to be buried in the holy city of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran, where he was born.