In response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Iran has promised a retaliatory action that will be carried out at a “substantial level.” In an exclusive interview, Khaled Qaddoumi, the representative of Hamas in Tehran, stated that Iranian officials have assured Hamas leaders that the response to the killing will be “definite and decisive.”
Hamas: Iran to take revenge on Israel over Haniyeh assassination ‘at substantial level’https://t.co/IgOexlJPOj
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Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, have both emphasized that the retaliation will be different in kind and manner. Qaddoumi highlighted the necessity of a response, noting that the absence of diplomatic pressure from the United States enables Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue his “genocide.”
He added that Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has also underlined during meetings with Hamas officials over the past few days that Iran’s response will be definite, decisive and different in kind and manner.
“Experience has proven that that the Zionist regime will press ahead with its crimes in case it does not receive an answer… The most important reason why a criminal like [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is forging ahead with its genocide is the absence of diplomatic pressures from the United States. He does not feel such strains,” Qaddoumi said.
The senior Hamas official emphasized that Iran will definitely respond to the Israeli assassination of Haniyeh at a substantial level, and expressed regret that the occupying Tel Aviv regime is not under pressure from any other party, either in West Asia or anywhere else.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei has also warned ‘Israel’ of a “harsh response” for the assassination, stating that it is Iran’s duty to avenge Haniyeh’s blood. The killing of Haniyeh occurred during a visit to Tehran for the inauguration of President Pezeshkian.
Iran’s response to the assassination is seen as crucial not only for Hamas but for Iranians themselves, who have expressed the necessity of retaliation. The Iranian authorities have underscored the importance of seeking justice for Haniyeh’s death.
Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly-elected President Pezeshkian, alongside other Axis of Resistance leaders, was martyred in an attack early on July 31.
Source: Al-Manar English Website and Iranian media