Gambiaj.com – (TEHRAN, Iran) – In a dramatic escalation of Middle Eastern tensions, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has vowed revenge following the killing of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike on Iranian soil early Wednesday morning.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has directly accused Israel of carrying out the strike, which hit Haniyeh’s residence while he was in Tehran for the inauguration of newly elected Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Haniyeh had been living in exile in Qatar for years.

Khamenei expressed deep mourning over the death of what he called Iran’s “beloved guest inside our house,” according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). He warned of severe retribution, stating, “It paved the way for a harsh punishment to be imposed on it,” in reference to Israel.

The IRGC reported that the strike killed Haniyeh and his bodyguard, and promised a “harsh and painful response” to what it termed a “crime.” Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zahri echoed this sentiment, claiming that Israel had “opened fire on itself” by assassinating Haniyeh. “This assassination will not achieve the goals of [Israel] and will not be able to push Hamas to surrender. Hamas will continue on this path to the end,” Zahri asserted in an interview circulated by pro-Iranian media.

Israel has not commented on the incident, maintaining its typical silence on strikes in countries with which it is not openly at war or regarding covert operations by its Mossad intelligence agency. The U.S. has denied any awareness or involvement in the strike.

This incident marks a rare occurrence of Israel allegedly carrying out a strike within Iranian territory. Israel has been accused of similar actions in the past, including the killing of Iranian scientists in 2020 and a limited attack on Iran in April following a drone and rocket barrage from Tehran.

The death of Haniyeh, who had led Hamas since 2017, is likely to heighten tensions further across the region. Israel is already engaged in conflicts with Iranian-backed groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Houthis in Yemen are also clashing with U.S. forces in the Red Sea. The killing follows closely on the heels of Israel’s strike that killed a top Hezbollah military commander in Beirut, raising fears of an impending broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been launching artillery and rocket attacks on Israel since October 8, an operation tied to the ongoing war in Gaza. The conflict is now a significant diplomatic crisis, with Israel unlikely to tolerate Hezbollah’s presence at its border even if the fighting with Hamas ceases.

The developments threaten to disrupt a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, heavily supported by U.S. diplomacy. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while refraining from speculation on the impact of Haniyeh’s death on the ceasefire talks, reiterated his support for the deal as the best means to ease tensions.

Israel continues its campaign against Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack that resulted in 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of around 250 hostages, of which 116 remain in Gaza. The conflict has claimed over 39,000 lives in Gaza, where Israel faces international scrutiny over the high number of civilian casualties and the insufficient aid for Palestinian residents.

Source: The Hill