DUBAI: Top Iranian officials will meet representatives of Iran's regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen on Thursday to discuss potential retaliation against Israel following the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources told Reuters.
The region faces the risk of widening conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday and the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday in an Israeli attack on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Representatives of Iran's Palestinian allies Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi movement, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi resistance groups will attend the meeting in Tehran, said the sources, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. .
“Iran and the resistance members will conduct a thorough evaluation after the meeting in Tehran to find the best and most effective way to retaliate against the Zionist regime (Israel),” said a senior Iranian official with direct knowledge of the meeting.
Another Iranian official said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard will attend.
“How Iran and the resistance front will react is currently under review… This will certainly happen and the Zionist regime (Israel) will undoubtedly regret it,” General Mohammad Baqeri, of Iran's armed forces, told state TV on Thursday.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the attack that killed Haniyeh hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran's new president in Tehran on Wednesday.
But Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for the attack, which sparked threats of retaliation against Israel and fueled further concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza was turning into an all-out war in the Middle East.
Israeli Air Force Chief Tomer Bar, speaking at a military graduation ceremony in Israel late Wednesday, warned that Israel will act against anyone who plans to harm its citizens.
– We are also strongly prepared in defence. “Hundreds of Air Force soldiers, along with air traffic control personnel, are stationed across the country with the best systems, ready to carry out their mission,” Bar said.
Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Al-Nakhala, as well as senior representatives of Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi movement and Lebanon's Hezbollah, attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president in Tehran on Tuesday. Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassim and lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah were in Iran for the inauguration and have stayed there for the funeral and the meeting, sources familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said.
“Major Repercussions”
Hamas's armed wing said in a statement that Haniyeh's killing would “take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions.” Iran vowed to retaliate, saying the US bears responsibility because of its support for Israel.
“Iran asked key commanders of the Iraqi resistance groups to travel to Tehran on Wednesday to attend an urgent meeting to discuss retaliation against recent Israeli strikes, including in Lebanon and Iran and US strikes in Iraq,” a local commander told the Iraqi militia.
Another militia source said the resistance group's commander left to attend Haniyeh's funeral and also to attend an “urgent meeting” to decide on the next steps to retaliate against Israel and the United States.
Iranians turned out to mourn Haniyeh on Thursday, a day after he was assassinated.
“All fronts of the resistance will avenge Haniyeh's blood,” Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency.
The Iran-backed axis of resistance includes Hamas – the Palestinian group that ignited the war in Gaza by attacking Israel on October 7 – Lebanon's Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthis and various Shiite armed groups in Iraq and Syria. .
On April 13, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Israel's suspected deadly attack on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, but almost all were shot down.
“Iran's response to the killing of the martyr Haniyeh will be stronger than before,” former senior Revolutionary Guard commander Esmail Kosari told state television.
