Iran says Hamas leader Haniyeh killed by short-range projectile, reiterates revenge vow
- The Revolutionary Guard of Iran says the action was ‘carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the US’
The televised statement on Saturday, which reiterated a call for retaliation, said a rocket with a 7kg (about 15-pound) warhead was used to target the residence of Hamas’ political leader in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, adding it caused heavy devastation. It did not share details of the residence’s location.
Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the US,” said the Guard’s statement. It added that “the warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive harsh punishment in the suitable time, place, and capacity.”
Regional tensions have soared following the assassination on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander from the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran.