MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Iran could decide in the coming hours to take revenge on Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said.

He made the statement in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman, after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"A decision could be made in the next few days or even the next few hours," Abbas said.

"First of all, we as Palestinians, are against war. We officially declared on October 7 [in 2023] that we are against war and against the killing of civilians, women, children," he went on to say. "We can’t yet foresee what will happen, but we can hope that there will be no escalation, no war, the consequences of which are difficult to assess."

"There are very tense dialogues going on between all countries," he said. "The most pressing issue at the moment is what level of response there will be from Iran to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh."

"I will not hide the well-known fact that America is also actively involved in these negotiations. And with the help of pressure that the US can exert, it is trying to do its best to bring the situation to an escalation," the Palestinian president went on to say. "But, of course, the main question is what will be the final decision in each country. And, of course, the final outcome also depends on the situation in each of the affected countries, and what risks they are willing to take.".