Khamenei direct attack on Israel

International Desk: Ismail Haniya, the political head of the Palestinian independence armed group Hamas, has been assassinated. One of Hania's bodyguards was also killed in an attack on a residence in the Iranian capital, Tehran. 

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has announced revenge for this incident. In response to Haniya's murder, he even ordered an attack on Israel, according to the influential US media New York Times. The US media reported this information on Wednesday (July 31) local time, citing Iranian officials. Besides, this report of NYT has been published by the Israeli media Times of Israel. 

According to reports, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered a direct attack on Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, the New York Times reported. The media reported this information citing three anonymous Iranian officials.  Two of the three officers are members of the Revolutionary Guard.

The report also said that this directive was given in an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council after the assassination of Haniya. According to the New York Times, three Iranian officials, including two members of the Revolutionary Guard, said Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced that Hamas chief Haniya had been killed.

They did not want to be named, as they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killings. Israel has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip for nearly 10 months. The Zionist country, however, has neither admitted nor denied killing Haniyeh, who had traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president.

However, Israel has a long history of killing "enemies" abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders.  During the nearly 10-month-long Israeli invasion of Gaza, Iran has been trying to maintain a balance. Avoiding an all-out war between the two countries, Iran has put pressure on Israel by intensifying attacks through Tehran's allies and proxy forces in the region.

However, Iran and Israel have been hostile for decades, and in April of this year Iran launched its biggest and most blatant attack on Israel in decades. Tehran launched hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation for the Israeli attack on the embassy compound, as well as the killing of several Iranian military commanders in Damascus, Syria.

And this time, after ordering a direct attack on Israel over Haniya's murder, Iranian officials said, "It remains unclear exactly how strongly Iran will respond and whether the country will again (as it did last April) calibrate its attacks to prevent further escalation." Iran's military commanders are considering another attack with a combination of drones and missiles on military targets around Tel Aviv and Haifa, but to avoid attacks on civilian targets.

Another option the West Asian country is considering is a coordinated attack from Iran and other fronts, including Yemen, Syria and Iraq, where Iran-aligned forces are present, they said. These Iranian officials also said that Khamenei has the final say on all Iranian state affairs and is also the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. Khamenei also ordered the military commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and the army to prepare plans for both attack and defense in case the war escalates and Israel or the United States attacks Iran. Meanwhile, in his public statement on Haniya's death, Khamenei indicated that Iran would retaliate directly.

He said, we see it as our duty to avenge his blood, because this incident happened on the territory of Iran.  According to the New York Times, he also commented that Israel had set the stage for his "severe punishment". In addition, newly elected President Massoud Pezheshkian, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Revolutionary Guards and other Iranian officials, including the Iranian Mission to the United Nations, have also publicly stated that Iran will retaliate against Israel and that Tehran has the right to defend itself against violations of its sovereignty.