Iranian officials plan to discuss with its allies, including Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, the possibility of retaliation against Israel for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh Thursday, according to Reuters.
It should be noted that Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death, reported CNN. Still, the tension in the Middle East spurred by the Oct. 7 attack has only broadened the conflict to include other factional nations.
Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, along with Hezbollah’s senior commander Fuad Shukr, by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, Hezbollah and Iraqi resistance groups plan to be in attendance at the meeting in Tehran, said Reuters’ undisclosed sources. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior officials of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were also said to be attending.
Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) July 31, 2024
“Iran and the resistance members will conduct a thorough assessment after the meeting in Tehran to find the best and most effective way to retaliate against the Zionist regime,” said one senior Iranian official, reported Reuters.
Iran’s chief of staff, General Mohammad Bagheri, told Mehr News Agency on Thursday that “… the Zionist regime will undoubtedly regret it.” The secretary to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, said something similar to Mehr, too, that “All front of the resistance will take revenge for Haniyeh’s blood.”
Iran and Hamas both believe Haniyeh was killed at the hands of Israel. Israeli state officials denied the accusations but also pushed back. Israeli Air Force Chief Tomer Bar warned adversaries of any reprisals during a military graduation on Wednesday.
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.
Haniyeh was undeniably a target of Israel. The AP reported that the day before his killing, he attended the inauguration ceremony for Iran’s new president, along with the leader of Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala and reps of the Houthi movement and Hezbollah.
Qassam Bridges, an official of Hamas’s military wing, said in a statement that there will be “… major repercussions across the region.”
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The Axis of Resistance, backed by Iran, includes Hamas, Yemen’s Houthis, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Shi’ite groups from both Iraq and Syria. Israel will likely depend on the West as escalation is near inevitable, making this a global conflict.
