Awash in humiliation after Israel killed a Hamas terrorist leader under his nose, Iran’s supreme leader says Israel will pay.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed Wednesday in Tehran after a precision attack in which a rocket hit the room he was staying in at about 2 a.m. Tehran time, according to the New York Post.
Israel has not commented upon the attack, which is its standard response when its enemies are killed in targeted attacks for which Israel is believed to be responsible.
In response, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wants Israel hit directly, according to The New York Times, which cited sources it did not name as saying the attack order was issued Wednesday.
Publicly, Khamenei said that “we see avenging his blood our duty” and that Israel would be receiving “a severe punishment.”
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In April, Iran sent hundreds of missiles and drones against Israel in a highly telegraphed attack that saw most of the rockets downed before reaching Israel.
The Times said its sources indicate that this time around, a mass of drones and missiles will strike military targets near Haifa and Tel Aviv, but not hit civilian targets.
The report said Iran may coordinate its attack with groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq that it funds and arms.
“Iran likely believes it has no choice other than retaliating to deter further Israeli attacks, defend its sovereignty, and preserve its credibility in the eyes of its regional partners,” Ali Vaez, the Iran director of the International Crisis Group, said.
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As noted by The Washington Post, Israel killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr on Wednesday. It has also announced that a July airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed Mohammed Deif, a top military leader with Hamas.
Anti-Israel rhetoric flowed at Thursday’s funeral for Haniyeh, as noted by the Times of Israel.
“Ismail Haniyeh’s slogan, ‘We will not recognize Israel,’ will remain an immortal slogan,” Hamas foreign relations chief Khalil al-Hayya said, adding “we will pursue Israel until it is uprooted from the land of Palestine.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament said Iran “will certainly carry out the supreme leader’s order” to avenge Haniyeh.
“It is our duty to respond at the right time and in the right place,” he said as crowds chanted “Death to Israel, Death to America!”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu braced Israel for what might lie ahead, according to NBC.
“Citizens of Israel, challenging days lie ahead. Since the strike in Beirut, there are threats sounding from all directions. We are prepared for any scenario and we will stand united and determined against any threat,” he said in a statement.
“Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena,” he said.
The latest round of attacks began when a Hezbollah rocket hit an Israel community in the Golan Heights area of northern Israel, killing 12 children, as noted by USA Today.
