Iran threatens Israel with 'harsh punishment' for killing Hamas leader
Ismail Haniyeh (Getty Images)
Iran has threatened Israel with revenge for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to CNN, Times of Israel.
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran will have "a harsh and painful response,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement.
“Iran and the resistance front will respond to this crime,” the statement said.
Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran “will defend its territorial integrity and honor and would make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly action.”
According to CNN, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says that Iran considers it its duty to avenge the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, as he was killed on Iranian soil.
“You killed our dear guest in our house and now have paved the way for your harsh punishment,” Khamenei said, referring to Israel.
Murder of Haniyeh
The leader of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and one of his bodyguards were killed in a shelling of his residence in Tehran.
As US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, the United States will help defend Israel if it is attacked. But it is also working to reduce tensions in the region after the elimination of the Hamas leader in Iran.
