The Palestinian militant group has accused Israel of killing its political leader and said this ‘grave escalation’ will not go unanswered.
Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in the Iranian capital, Tehran, the Palestinian militant group said on Wednesday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said he was targeted at his residence while visiting Iran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of the assassination and called it “a grave escalation” in a comment to Reuters. Israel has yet to comment on the killing.
It comes less than a day after Israel attacked the Lebanese capital Beirut in what its forces said was a targeted strike on Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct strike on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Wednesday.
Khamenei reportedly gave the instruction after convening Iran’s Supreme National Security Council for an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning following the missile strike, the newspaper said, quoting three Iranian officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.
