New Delhi: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has directed Iran to launch a direct attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, reported ANI citing the New York Times report containing statements from three Iranian officials, including two Revolutionary Guards members.
Khamenei issued the directive during an emergency session of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, soon after Iran reported the death of Haniyeh.
Haniyeh was assassinated around 2 am local time, following a ceremony and a meeting with Khamenei. The killing has stunned Iranian officials, who have labeled it as a serious breach of red lines.
Both Iran and Hamas have pointed fingers at Israel for the assassination. However, Israel that is currently at war with Hamas in the Gaza strip has neither acknowledged nor denied any killing. Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
The NYT further noted that Israel has a history of targeting enemies abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders. Over nearly 10 months of conflict in Gaza, Iran has sought to balance its approach by intensifying attacks through its allies and proxy forces in the region, while trying to prevent a full-scale war with Israel.
In its most direct assault on Israel, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones in April in response to an Israeli attack on its embassy compound in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of several Iranian military commanders.
“Now it is unclear how forcefully Iran will respond, and whether it will once again calibrate its attack to steer clear of escalation. Iranian military commanders are considering another combination attack of drones and missiles on military targets in the vicinity of Tel Aviv and Haifa but would make a point of avoiding strikes on civilian targets,” the Iranian officials said, reported ANI.
Khamenei, who has the last word on all state matters and is also the commander in chief of the armed forces, instructed military commanders from the Revolutionary Guards and the army to prepare plans for both an attack and a defense in case the war expands and Israel or the US strike Iran, the officials said.