Iran's Supreme Leader Orders Direct Strikes in Retaliation Against Israel

According to the above source, quoting three unnamed Iranian officials, Mr. Khamenei issued this directive after convening an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on the morning of July 31 (local time), following the missile attack.

Previously, Mr. Haniyeh was in the Iranian capital to attend the inauguration of new President Masoud Pezeshkian, when a missile attacked his residence on July 31, killing him and a bodyguard.

“We consider revenge our duty,” Iran’s supreme leader said in a statement on the same day. Khamenei condemned Israel for attacking Haniyeh, who was “a dear guest in our house.”

According to RT, the Jewish state has neither confirmed nor denied being behind the assassination.

Israel had vowed to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders after the militant group’s October 7, 2023, attack that left about 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 250 hostages. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians in Gaza, causing severe tensions with Iran.

In April, Israel attacked an Iranian embassy compound in Syria and Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones in a direct retaliatory attack on Israel, prompting the US and other powers to mobilize air and naval forces to support Israel's air defenses.

“It is unclear how strongly Iran will respond” to the July 31 attack on Tehran that killed Mr. Haniyeh, the NYT wrote.

"Iranian military commanders are considering another combined attack with drones and missiles on military targets in the vicinity of Tel Aviv and Haifa, but will try to avoid hitting civilian targets," the newspaper quoted Iranian officials as saying.

Another option, according to the NYT source, is “a coordinated attack from Iran and other fronts where Iran has allied forces, including Yemen, Syria and Iraq, for maximum effect.”