Khamenei ordered a direct attack on Israel
Last Updated on August 1, 2024 11:00 am
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct attack on Israel to avenge the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of the Palestinian independence armed group Hamas.
According to the news media India Today, the information was given by the US media New York Times citing three anonymous Iranian officials.
Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas, was killed in his residence in Tehran, the capital of Iran, early Wednesday morning. Haniya traveled to Tehran from Qatar on Tuesday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president.
Iran and Hamas have claimed that Haniya was killed in an Israeli assassination. However, no official statement was received from Tel Aviv. However, Israel had previously vowed to kill Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders when the Gaza war erupted following a Hamas attack on October 7 last year.
According to the report of the New York Times, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning regarding the killing of Haniya in Tehran. According to Iranian officials, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the attack on Israel at the meeting.
In Iran such meetings are called only in special circumstances. A similar meeting was called earlier last April after two top Iranian military commanders were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria.
Iranian officials said that it is not yet clear how strong Iran will attack. Iranian military commanders are considering a combination of drone and missile strikes on military targets around Tel Aviv and Haifa. However, every effort will be made to avoid attacks on civilian targets. A coordinated attack from Iran and its other fronts is considered. In that case, attacks may be launched from Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Tel Aviv has sent a message to Iran through diplomatic backchannels that Israel will go to full-scale war if Iran and its proxies launch an attack against the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Israel would pay a heavy price for any attack from any front.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an immediate statement on his official website that it was Tehran’s duty to avenge the death of the Hamas leader. Israel has prepared a severe punishment for itself by killing our beloved guest.
The assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran shocked Iranian officials, who called it a red line crossing.
Iran’s state press TV reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will lead the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.