Fears Iran will hit Israel on ‘five fronts’ at any moment in revenge for the assassination of Hamas boss Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran
Israel is preparing for an Iranian attack on five fronts “at any time” in revenge for the killing of a Hamas leader on its soil.
Tehran has been shocked after it emerged that the leader of the terrorist movement was killed by a bomb smuggled into the regime’s official guesthouse in the capital months ago.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered the Islamic Republic’s National Security Council to launch a direct attack on Israel.
Yesterday, leaders of Iran’s terror allies in Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq and Syria were summoned to Tehran to coordinate a joint response.
An Israeli official said last night: “We are preparing for a five-front attack that could happen at any moment.”
Hamas’ top political leader was assassinated in a shocking attack in Iran on Tuesday
Hours of Death: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with Ismail Haniyeh (L) before Israel’s deadly attack on the Hamas leader in Tehran, Iran, July 30, 2024
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the Islamic Republic’s Supreme National Security Council to launch a direct attack on Israel
Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, warned yesterday that the “reaction of the resistance axis” was “under review”.
He said: ‘This will certainly be carried out. We will take various measures, and the Zionists will undoubtedly regret their actions.’
There are fears the response could surpass Iran’s devastating attack in April, which brought hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles frighteningly close to Israeli defenses.
In that attack, RAF fighter jets in Cyprus were defending Israeli airspace, but defence sources said last night that British bases were not on a “higher state of alert” and no additional aircraft had been deployed.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in his sleep at 2 a.m. on Wednesday after visiting Tehran for the presidential inauguration.
Iranians gather for the funeral ceremony of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel, Wednesday, in Enqelab-e-Eslami
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, speaks to the press after a meeting with Iran’s foreign minister in Tehran on March 26, 2024
The supreme leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, attends the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, at the parliament in Tehran
Israeli forces seized the opportunity to hit Haniyeh and carried out a daring rocket attack on his Tehran residence just hours after the event, killing the Hamas leader and a security guard.
He was staying in a regime guest house and was protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in a part of the Neshat complex in the north of the city.
Two months earlier, a bomb had been smuggled in, top Middle Eastern officials told The New York Times. The bomb was detonated remotely when it was confirmed he was in his room. The massive explosion also killed his bodyguard.
Although Israel has not claimed responsibility, it is the fourth known Hamas leader to be killed since October 7 and is said to be compiling a “kill list.”
Just 12 hours before Haniyeh’s death, Israel killed Fuad Shukr, the military leader of Hezbollah, another Iranian ally in Lebanon.
Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, vowed revenge last night, saying Israel had “crossed a red line”.
Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran came hours after Israel also attacked a senior Hezbollah official in Beirut
A man watches the news on TV after Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his home in the Iranian capital Tehran, Iran on July 31, 2024.
He said, ‘There is no discussion on this point. The only things that lie between us and you are the days, the nights and the battlefield.’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for any “aggression” as large crowds carrying Palestinian flags filled the streets of Tehran yesterday for Haniyeh’s funeral.
Meanwhile, 70,000 Israelis rushed to Tel Aviv airport to try to escape as tensions rose in the country.
Israel’s National Security Council is warning travelers to be extra careful abroad amid fears that Jewish institutions could be targeted by militants with ties to Iran.