©Getty Images/Majid Saeedi
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pledged to avenge the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a missile strike in Tehran on Wednesday.
Countries throughout the region have blamed the attack on Israel, but the Jewish state has yet to officially comment.
Following the assassination, an X account translating and sharing Khamenei’s statements posted a message from the Iranian leader, saying: “following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge.”
In a separate statement, Khamenei promised “harsh punishment” for Israel over Haniyeh’s killing, claiming that “the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us bereaved, but it also prepared the ground for a harsh punishment for itself.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also condemned the strike on Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran, vowing to defend the Islamic Republic’s territorial integrity, honor and dignity and make “the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly action.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also threatened Israel with a “harsh and painful response” from Iran and its allies.
In a statement, the IRGC said Haniyeh’s assassination showed that “the Zionist gang of criminals, murderers and terrorists, without any regard for international rules and regulations, does not shy away from committing any criminal action to cover up the shameful failures of nine months of war in Gaza.”
Prior to Wednesday’s incident, Israel had repeatedly threatened to eliminate top Hamas officials over the group’s attack on Israel in October last year, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage.
Haniyeh, who was based in Qatar, was the Palestinian militant group’s diplomatic frontman, acting as a mediator in ceasefire negotiations during the Israel-Hamas war.
Iran accuses US of complicity in Hamas chief’s assassination
The US bears partial responsibility for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The Palestinian movement’s chief was assassinated in a missile strike on his residence Tehran earlier in the day.
©Global Look Press/Mamoun Wazwaz
The ministry accused Israel of carrying out the strike, calling it part of the Jewish State’s hunt for Palestinian leaders, and a “terrorist act” targeting Iran’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Haniyeh was in Iran for the inauguration of the country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The ministry statement said Tehran reserves the right to “respond appropriately to this aggressive action.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes the responsibility of the US government as a supporter and accomplice” of Israel, including in “committing this heinous act of terrorism,” the statement read. According to Tehran, Israel seeks to destabilize the Middle East, and Wednesday’s attack poses a “serious threat” to regional and international peace and stability.
Washington has denied any role in the incident. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Singapore-based news network CNA that the US was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination.
Israel has not commented on the strike, but national media have claimed, citing unnamed Iranian officials, that the missile that struck Haniyeh’s residence may have been fired from within Iran’s borders. Israel has previously vowed to eliminate the leaders of Hamas.
The development comes as the conflict between Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group approaches nine months. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged to destroy Hamas in response to its deadly October 7 raid that claimed the lives of some 1,100 people. More than 200 were taken hostage and held in Gaza.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a major military campaign in Gaza that involved heavy bombardments following by a ground operation. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since the start of the fighting, according to local authorities.
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