Iran Vows “Revenge” Following Assassination Of Hamas Political Leader
Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamanei has vowed revenge for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, accusing Israel of responsibility for the Wednesday assassination.
In a statement, Khamanei said that it was Iran’s “duty” to seek revenge for Haniyeh, as he had been on Iranian soil when he was assassinated before dawn on Wednesday.
Haniyeh was in Tehran for the swearing-in of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and was photographed with Pezeshkian in photographs released by the president’s office. He had traveled to Iran from Qatar, where he lived in exile from the Gaza Strip alongside other senior Hamas leaders. Following a funeral in Tehran scheduled for Thursday, his body will be sent to Doha for burial.
Both Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of responsibility for the assassination, with Hamas deputy chief in Gaza Khalil Al-Hayya claiming during a Wednesday press conference in Tehran that a missile “directly” struck the guesthouse Haniyeh had been staying in.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor had sought to issue an arrest warrant for Haniyeh in May, alongside Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Daif, head of Hamas’ military branch, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.
Tel Aviv has so far declined to issue any official comments claiming or denying responsibility for the assassination. In a Wednesday evening address, Netanyahu said that the country was prepared for “any scenario”, and would “exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena”.
Israel did claim responsibility for the Tuesday airstrike that killed Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander. The airstrike on a Beirut suburb took place hours before Haniyeh’s assassination. While it was initially unclear whether Shukr had been killed, Hezbollah confirmed his death late on Wednesday following the recovery of his body.
Tel Aviv says the killing of Shukr is in response to the 28 July rocket attack that killed 12 children in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, claiming that Shukr was directly involved in planning the attack.