Iran’s newly proclaimed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared in public, on video, or issued written statements three days after being announced as the successor to his slain father, raising questions about his condition and whereabouts, various foreign news sources indicated.

Iranian officials said Khamenei, 56, may have been injured during the opening day of a joint Israeli and United States attack that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on 28 February.

Three Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said they were informed by senior government figures that Mojtaba Khamenei suffered injuries to his legs but remains conscious and is sheltering in a highly secure location with limited communication.

Israeli military officials also said intelligence assessments suggested the new Iranian leader sustained leg injuries during the strike, even before he was formally chosen as supreme leader days later. The officials also spoke anonymously.

The exact circumstances and severity of Khamenei’s injuries remain unclear.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli airstrikes on a leadership compound in central Tehran on 28 February. The attack also killed several senior Iranian defense officials along with members of the Khamenei family, including the elder leader’s wife, son, and daughter-in-law.

Iranian state media have hinted at Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition, referring to him as a “wounded war veteran.” The state news agency IRNA and other outlets have used the Persian term “janbaz jang,” commonly used to describe veterans injured in war.