Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed a direct strike against Israel in response to the Israeli assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The Times cited, "Mr. Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced that Mr. Haniyeh had been killed."
"Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of the assassination; Israel, which is at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has neither acknowledged nor denied killing Mr. Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran's new president. Israel has a long history of killing enemies abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders." The times added.
According to NYT, Iranian military commanders are considering "another combination attack of drones and missiles on military targets in the vicinity of Tel Aviv and Haifa," but would make a point of avoiding strikes on civilian targets, Iranian officials said.
Adding, One option under consideration is a coordinated attack from Iran and other fronts where it has allied forces, including Yemen, Syria and Iraq, for maximum effect, they said.
In his turn, In his public statement about Mr. Haniyeh's assassination, Mr. Khamenei signaled that Iran would retaliate directly, saying, "we see avenging his blood our duty," because it happened on the territory of the Islamic Republic. He said Israel had set the stage for receiving "a severe punishment." NYT added.
Statements from other Iranian officials, including the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the foreign ministry, the Guards, and Iran's mission to the UN, also said openly that Iran would retaliate against Israel and that it had a right to defend itself against a transgression on its sovereignty.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog responded by urging Israeli citizens "to act responsibly, remain vigilant, and prepare accordingly."
Additionally, US airline "United Airlines" has suspended its daily flights from the US to Tel Aviv for security reasons.