Iranian official: Attack on Haniyeh - slap in face to Iran's regional status

Ali Akbar Behmanesh, an Iranian politician and leader of Masoud Pezeshkian's presidential campaign, has said Israel's attack on Ismail Haniyeh, head of the politburo of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, was a slap in the face for Iran.

Behmanesh added that the attack on Haniyeh, which took place during his stay in Iran, "humiliated our country and undermined our entire security apparatus”. In addition, the politician said the incident showed that Tehran "has serious holes in its intelligence," Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The publication also quoted an anonymous senior US official as saying that with its attack, Israel not only avenged the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack but also showed Iranian leaders that they were also within range of Israeli troops.

Earlier, Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei ordered the strike on Israel as revenge for Haniyeh.