Rescue teams' vehicles are seen near the site of the incident of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran, on May 19. It has also brought a decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel out into the open. But the proxy war continues with Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah continuing to fight Israel’s forces. The powers of Iran's president are ultimately dwarfed by those of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the final arbiter of domestic and foreign affairs in the Islamic Republic. That means Iran's clerical establishment, headed by Khamenei, must now find a new leader they can throw their support behind against a backdrop of intense regional insecurity and domestic discontent.

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Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Azin, Israel —, Israel, Mahsa, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, —, Mohammad Mokhbar —, Khamenei Organizations: Moj News Agency, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards, United Locations: Varzaghan, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Damascus, Iranian, Isfahan, United Nations, Islamic Republic