Senior Iranian officials will meet representatives of Iran's regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen on Thursday to discuss possible retaliation against Israel after the killing of a Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
After the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday and the killing of Hezbollah's top commander on Tuesday in an Israeli attack on the outskirts of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, the region is facing the risk of conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies.
These sources, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said that representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Iran's Palestinian allies, as well as Yemen's Houthi movement, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Iraqi resistance groups supported by Tehran, will participate in the Tehran meeting. will do .
A senior Iranian official with direct knowledge of this meeting said: After the meeting in Tehran, Iran and the members of the resistance will make a complete assessment to find the best and most effective way to take revenge against the Zionist regime (Israel).
Another Iranian official said that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Revolution, and senior members of the Revolutionary Guards will participate in this ceremony.
Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of the General Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, said in an interview with the country's state television on Thursday: “How Iran and the resistance front will respond is currently under investigation… It will definitely happen and The Zionist regime (Israel) will undoubtedly regret it.”
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the attack that killed Haniyeh hours after he participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new president of Iran in Tehran.
But Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for the attack, which has threatened to retaliate against Israel and fueled further concerns that the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza could turn into an all-out war in the Middle East.
Israeli Air Force Chief Tomer Bar warned at a military graduation ceremony in Israel late Wednesday that Israel will take action against anyone who intends to harm its citizens.
We are also extremely prepared in defense. Hundreds of air defense soldiers along with air control personnel with the best systems are stationed all over the country and are ready to carry out their mission.
Haniyeh and Ziad al-Nakhleh, the leader of the Islamic Jihad, as well as senior representatives of Yemen's Houthi movement and Lebanon's Hezbollah, which are supported by Tehran, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president in Tehran on Tuesday. Sources familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said that Naeem Qasim, Deputy Leader of Hezbollah, and Hassan Fazlullah, MP, were in Iran for the swearing-in ceremony and stayed there for the funeral and visit.
“major consequences”
The armed wing of Hamas said in a statement that the killing of Haniyeh “takes the battle to new dimensions and will have great consequences.” Iran pledged to reciprocate and said that America is responsible for supporting Israel.
One of the local commanders of Iraqi militias said: Iran has asked the key commanders of the Iraqi resistance groups to travel to Tehran on Wednesday to participate in an urgent meeting to discuss retaliation for Israel's recent attacks, including in Lebanon and Iran, and the US attack on Iraq.
Another militia source said that the commanders of the resistance group left to attend Haniyeh's funeral and also to attend an “urgent meeting” to decide on the next steps to take revenge on Israel and the United States.
Iranians showed up for mourning on Thursday, one day after the assassination of Haniyeh.
Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told the semi-official Mehr news agency: “All resistance fronts will avenge Haniyeh's blood.”
The Iranian-backed axis of resistance includes Hamas – the Palestinian group that ignited the Gaza war by attacking Israel on October 7 – Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis and various Shia armed groups in Iraq and Syria. .
On April 13, Iran fired a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in what it said was retaliation for a potentially deadly Israeli attack on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, but almost all of them were shot down.
Ismail Kothari, the former senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told state television: “Iran's response to the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh will be stronger than in the past.”
