Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, saying Iran considers it an obligation to “avenge the dear guest’s blood.”
The assertion got here hours after Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian‘s swearing-in ceremony, was killed at his residence within the capital metropolis within the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Khamenei confused that the “criminal and terrorist Zionist regime” has ready the bottom for “severe punishment for itself,” including that Iran considers it a “duty” to “avenge the blood” of the Hamas chief.
He hailed Haniyeh as “a brave leader and distinguished Palestinian fighter,” including that the resistance entrance is “in mourning.”
“The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us mourn, but it has also prepared the ground for severe punishment for itself,” the assertion learn.
Haniyeh together with Islamic Jihad chief Ziad Nakhaleh had met with Iran’s supreme chief on the sidelines of Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.
The assertion famous that Haniyeh was at all times “ready for martyrdom, and had sacrificed his children and relatives on this path,” referring to the killing of his instant household in current months in Gaza.
“We consider it our duty to avenge his blood in this bitter and difficult incident that took place in the territory of the Islamic Republic,” the assertion added.
Earlier, sections of Iranian media reported that Haniyeh was assassinated in an airstrike that focused his residence in north Tehran round 2 a.m. native time (1030GMT).
The assault reportedly occurred at a guesthouse for battle veterans managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Meanwhile, the IRGC confirmed the assassination of Haniyeh and considered one of his bodyguards in an announcement. The Guards introduced that an investigation into the incident is presently underway.
Hamas additionally issued an announcement wherein it vowed to take revenge for the assassination of its chief, whom it stated was killed in Tehran by a “treacherous Zionist raid.”
Earlier, the Israeli military declined to touch upon Haniyeh’s assassination, saying, “We do not comment on these reports” in response to an Anadolu correspondent’s inquiry.
Haniyeh was re-elected as the pinnacle of the Hamas political bureau in 2021 for a second consecutive time period, which was slated to finish in 2025.
Source: www.anews.com.tr