Iran warns Israel of heavy consequences for assassination of Hamas leader

Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has stated that Israel will pay a heavy price for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, in Tehran.

"The act committed by Israel in Tehran is a strategic mistake," he said, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

Bagheri Kani emphasized that Israel, which seeks to "expand the war" across the Middle East, "lacks the strength and capability" to confront the Islamic Republic.

Ismail Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran was attacked on July 31 morning, resulting in the death of one of his bodyguards. Hamas has accused Israel of carrying out the attack, labeling it as a treacherous act.

Hamas said that an Israeli attack killed its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran where Haniyeh had traveled to attend the swearing-in of Iran’s new president.

A Hamas statement posted on the militant group’s Telegram channel said Haniyeh was killed at a residence in the Iranian capital.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said one of Haniyeh’s bodyguards was also killed in the early morning attack, and that the incident was under investigation.

Haniyeh’s death comes nearly 10 months after Iran-backed Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Haniyeh became the head of Hamas’ political bureau in 2017, and had been living in exile in Qatar after leaving Gaza in 2019.