Iran to exact revenge on Israel for ‘spilling blood’ of Hamas leader — spiritual leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his "condolences to the Islamic community, the Axis of Resistance, the brave and proud people of Palestine, and the family and the surviving family members" of the Palestinian politician
DUBAI, July 31. /TASS/. Israel will be punished severely for killing Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, in Tehran, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.
"By doing this, the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime (Israel - TASS) has created a pretext for severe punishment. We believe it to be our duty to avenge the blood of a man who was martyred on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the press service quoted Ali Khamenei as saying.
According to the spiritual leader, the Hamas head "gave his precious life to the struggle a long time ago and was ready to be martyred, having lost many of his family members and friends along the way." Khamenei expressed his "condolences to the Islamic community, the Axis of Resistance, the brave and proud people of Palestine, and the family and the surviving family members" of the Palestinian politician.
Earlier, the Palestinian movement Hamas said that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the movement’s political bureau, had been killed in an Israeli strike targeting the residence he was staying at in Tehran, where he had arrived for the inauguration of the country's president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian. The Al Hadath TV channel reported that Haniyeh was killed in a direct missile strike. The missile was launched "not from the territory of Iran itself," but "from another state," according to Al Mayadeen. Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau Mousa Abu Marzook has warned that Haniyeh’s assassination will not go unanswered.
Israeli authorities declined to comment to CNN on Haniyeh's death. According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office instructed ministers not to comment on the issue. The newspaper added that lawmakers had received similar instructions.
Since tensions in the Middle East escalated in October 2023, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked a refugee camp in Gaza City where the Hamas leader's family lived. The shelling killed three of his sons and four of his grandchildren, as well as Haniyeh's sister.