Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “harsh punishment” for Israel after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
“With this action, the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself, and we consider it our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said in a statement carried by official news agency IRNA.
Iran declared three days of mourning.
He also said in a statement on X, “Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge.”
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also announced the death, saying Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was hit and he was killed along with a bodyguard.
Iranian media said the 2am (2230 GMT) strike targeted “the special residences for war veterans in north Tehran” where Haniyeh was staying.
Haniyeh had travelled to Tehran to attend Tuesday’s swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian vowed to make Israel “regret” Haniyeh’s killing.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, honour, pride and dignity, and make the terrorist invaders regret their cowardly action,” Pezeshkian said in a post.
An “official and public” funeral ceremony for Haniyeh will be held in Tehran on Thursday before his body is flown to Qatar for burial on Friday, Hamas said.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas condemned Haniyeh’s killing as a “cowardly act”. Palestinian factions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank called for a general strike and protest marches across the territory.
(With inputs from Reuters, AFP)