Iran and Allies Plan Retaliation After Hamas Leader’s Assassination in Tehran
Top Iranian officials will meet with representatives of Iran’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen on Thursday to discuss potential retaliation against Israel after the Hamas leader was killed in Tehran, five sources told Reuters.
The region is at risk of expanded conflict between Israel, Iran, and its proxies following Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran on Wednesday and the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli strike near Beirut on Tuesday.
Representatives of Iran’s Palestinian allies Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as well as Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi movement, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iraqi resistance groups, will attend the meeting in Tehran, said the sources, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
“Iran and the resistance members will conduct a thorough assessment after the meeting in Tehran to determine the most effective way to retaliate against the Zionist regime (Israel),” said a senior Iranian official, with direct knowledge of the meeting.
Another Iranian official mentioned that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards will be present.
“How Iran and the resistance front will respond is currently under review … This will undoubtedly happen, and the Zionist regime (Israel) will regret it,” General Mohammad Baqeri, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, told state TV on Thursday.
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Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of executing the strike that killed Haniyeh hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran on Wednesday.
However, Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for the attack, which drew threats of revenge on Israel and heightened concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza might escalate into an all-out war in the Middle East.
Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar, speaking at a military graduation ceremony in Israel late on Wednesday, warned that Israel will act against anyone planning to harm its citizens.
“We are also strongly prepared in defense. Hundreds of aerial defense soldiers, along with air control personnel, are stationed across the country with the best systems, ready to carry out their mission,” said Bar.
Haniyeh, the leader of Islamic Jihad Ziad al-Nakhala, senior representatives of Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi movement, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah attended the inauguration ceremony for Iran’s new president in Tehran on Tuesday.
Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassim and lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah were in Iran for the inauguration and have remained there for the funeral and meeting, sources familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking said.
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Hamas’ armed wing has stated that Haniyeh’s killing would “take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions.”
Vowing to retaliate, Iran said the U.S. bore responsibility due to its support for Israel.
“Iran asked key commanders of the Iraqi resistance groups to travel to Tehran on Wednesday for an urgent meeting to discuss retaliation against recent Israeli strikes, including in Lebanon and Iran and the U.S. strike in Iraq,” said an Iraqi militia local commander.
Another militia source said the resistance group commanders left to attend Haniyeh’s funeral and a “top urgent meeting” to decide the next steps to retaliate against Israel and the United States.
Iranians turned out to mourn Haniyeh on Thursday, a day after he was assassinated.
“All fronts of the resistance will take revenge for Haniyeh’s blood,” Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
The Iran-backed Axis of Resistance includes Hamas, which ignited the war in Gaza by attacking Israel on Oct. 7, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and various Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
On April 13, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s suspected deadly strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, but almost all were shot down.
“Iran’s response to the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh will be stronger than before,” former senior Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari told state TV.
Iran and Allies Plan Retaliation After Hamas Leader’s Assassination in Tehran
