The big question is, how will Iran respond?
Just a few months ago when Israel targeted the Iranian consulate in Syria, we saw Iran respond on April 14 with an attack on Israel with more than 300 drones and missiles. The United States and Israel knew the attack was coming but it was a major event in the region.
Now, given the fact that Haniyeh, an Iranian guest, was killed on Iranian soil, the big question is, what will Iran do? The repercussions are going to be big for the whole region. This could mean an Iranian attack on Israel. I cannot imagine what will happen next.
Islamic Jihad responds to Haniyeh’s assassination
The Palestinian group’s Deputy Secretary-General Muhammad al-Hindi told Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen:
“This assassination is not only directed at the Palestinian resistance and Hamas, in particular, but it is also directed at Iran. “Israel is on the verge of collapse, and its reactions reflect confusion and inability to achieve any of its goals. “Israel is facing such resistance for the first time in its history.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad is an ally of Hamas and took part in the October 7 attacks on Israel.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala (seconf left) and Ismail Haniyeh (far right) attend Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024
Iran’s National Security Council meets to discuss response: Report
Members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council along with senior commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have convened a meeting to discuss the country’s response to Haniyeh’s assassination, the Reuters news agency reports.
Hamas has blamed Israel for the attack, which occurred at Haniyeh’s residence in the Iranian capital, Tehran. One of his bodyguards was also killed in the attack.
Israel has yet to comment on the incident.
Turkey condemns Haniyeh’s ‘heinous’ assassination
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Haniyeh’s killing “once again demonstrates that Israel’s Netanyahu government has no intention of achieving peace”, according to the Anadolu news agency.
“[The] region will face much larger conflicts if [the] international community does not take action to stop Israel,” the ministry added.
Haniyeh met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on April 20, 2024
Iran’s foreign ministry says Haniyeh’s ‘blood will never be wasted’
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said that Ismael Haniyeh’s “blood will never be wasted”, after the Hamas leader was assassinated in Tehran.
“Haniyeh’s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance,” Nasser Kanaani said, according to Iranian state media.
‘Escalation seems inevitable’ following assassination of Haniyeh
Abas Aslani, a fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, said the assassination of Haniyeh will reverberate across the region and beyond.
“The context also is important because he was assassinated just after the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian president and meeting senior Iranian officials,” Aslani told Al Jazeera.
“At the moment, as we speak, an escalation seems inevitable,” Aslani said, adding that the killing comes just as the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was speaking of dialogue and engagement with the West.
“Netanyahu doesn’t want this to happen,” he said.
“We might be saying goodbye for now to the ceasefire because this can escalate into a regional war. The Israeli prime minister is trying to do everything in order to prolong his political life. He wants to continue the war [in Gaza], and I think this is meant to not only impact the processes in Tehran and the region, but also in Washington as well,” he said.
“He wants to impact the political campaign in the United States. Maybe undermining the Democrats and giving more chance to Donald Trump,” he added.
