Supreme leader of Iran orders strike on Israel after elimination of Hamas leader, NYT reports
Photo: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran (Getty Images)
The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered a direct strike against Israel. This is Iran's response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, The New York Times reports.
Three unnamed Iranian officials told the news agency that Khamenei's order came during a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
The NYT sources specified that the Iranian military command is considering the possibility of another combined attack with drones and missiles on military targets around Tel Aviv and Haifa. Iran will attempt "to avoid strikes on civilian targets."
The sources also clarified that this could be a coordinated attack by Iran and its "allied forces" in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. It is likely referring to militants supported by Tehran.
According to the unnamed officials, Khamenei has instructed military commanders to prepare plans for both an offensive and defensive scenario in case of an escalation of the war and a potential strike by Israel or the United States against Iran.
What preceded
Today, July 31, it became known that Tehran was struck by a missile attack. As a result, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed.
Iran immediately blamed Israel for the attack. However, Israeli officials have not confirmed their involvement in the incident.
Notably, Haniyeh was killed after he participated in the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
For more details about Ismail Haniyeh, you can refer to the RBC-Ukraine material.
