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Khamenei Orders Attack on Israel for Haniyeh Killing

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei welcoming Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh (dpa)
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei welcoming Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh (dpa)
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Khamenei Orders Attack on Israel for Haniyeh Killing

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei welcoming Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh (dpa)
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei welcoming Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh (dpa)

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, according to three Iranian officials briefed on the order.

Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced that Haniyeh had been killed, said the three Iranian officials, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards, The New York Times reported.
They asked that their names not be published because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of the assassination; Israel, which is at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has neither acknowledged nor denied killing Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Israel has a long history of killing enemies abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders.

Through almost 10 months of war in Gaza, Iran has tried to strike a balance, putting pressure on Israel with sharply increased attacks by its allies and proxy forces in the region, while avoiding an all-out war between the two nations.

In April, Iran made its biggest and most overt attack on Israel in decades of hostility, launching hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its embassy compound that killed several Iranian military commanders in Damascus, Syria. But even that show of force was telegraphed well in advance, nearly all the weapons were shot down by Israel and its allies, and little damage was done.

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Conflicting Reports on Haniyeh’s Killing Location, Iran Vows Revenge

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)
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Conflicting Reports on Haniyeh’s Killing Location, Iran Vows Revenge

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh embraces IRGC Chief Hossein Salami at the Iranian parliament (Reuters)

The official Iranian response remains tight-lipped following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Conflicting reports have emerged about the location of the attack, while Iranian officials have accused Israel of the killing and vowed revenge.
Haniyeh was in Tehran for the swearing-in of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, amid tight security and the presence of officials from around 80 countries.
Initial reports from Iranian websites claimed that Haniyeh was killed near the Saadabad Palace by an Israeli drone. Other sources, however, stated that the attack happened in western Tehran.
The “Sabreen News” channel, linked to Iran’s Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), first reported the killing at 1:45 a.m. Iranian authorities have not released any photos of the scene.
Simultaneously, reports on the social media platform X mentioned a large blast in western Tehran, an area known for housing IRGC-linked residential sites.
Israeli Channel 12 suggested that the missile that killed Haniyeh was fired from within Iran, not by a drone as some reports had claimed.
Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in a guesthouse belonging to the IRGC in northern Tehran’s Chitgar neighborhood. The report noted that Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhala, who was in another part of the building, was not targeted.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s deputy leader, confirmed at a Tehran press conference that witnesses saw a missile hit the room where Haniyeh was staying. He said they are awaiting a full investigation and noted the explosion caused significant damage.
Al-Hayya also stated that discussions of a ceasefire with Israel are now irrelevant following the assassination.
He emphasized that while neither Iran nor Hamas seeks a regional war, the killing must be avenged, leaving resistance as the only option.
The IRGC confirmed that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their residence in Tehran was targeted. The statement provided few details.
Later, the Tasnim and Fars news agencies, both affiliated with the IRGC, reported that Haniyeh was killed at 2 a.m. by an aerial projectile.
According to the agencies, Haniyeh was staying at a veterans’ facility in northern Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said an investigation is underway into the assassination. He claimed the killing would strengthen Iran’s ties with the Palestinian cause.
The IRGC warned that Haniyeh’s death would prompt a “severe and painful” response. They pledged that Iran and its regional allies would retaliate against those responsible.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran must retaliate for the killing of Haniyeh because it happened on Iranian soil. He warned that Israel’s actions have set the stage for severe consequences.
President Pezeshkian also blamed Israel for the killing and promised that Iran would make Israel regret it.
Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council held an urgent meeting early Wednesday with senior IRGC leaders to address the assassination of Haniyeh.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran and the resistance would ensure Haniyeh’s death would not go unpunished.
Moreover, Iranian lawmakers suggested infiltrators might have leaked Haniyeh’s location and urged officials to address this issue seriously. They called for a full investigation and warned that Iran would respond to the attack, whether directly or indirectly.