How will Iran respond to assassination of top Hamas Leader Haniyeh?

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned of ‘severe punishment’ for Israel following martyrdom of top Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.

کد خبر: ۱۲۵۱۰۸۲

تاریخ: ۱۰ مرداد ۱۴۰۳ - ۱۴:۱۷

TABNAK, Jul, 31: The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei reiterated on Wednesday that Zionist regime has prepared the ground for its severe punishment by martyring top Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran on Wednesday midnight.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s message following the martyrdom of the great Mujahid Mr. Ismail Haniyeh comes as follows:

In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him do we indeed return" [Quran 2:156].

Dear Iranian nation!

The brave leader and prominent Palestinian mujahid, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, joined his Creator in the early hours at dawn, and the great Resistance Front is mourning his loss. The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for a severe punishment.

Martyr Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years. He was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path. He was not afraid of being martyred on the path of God and in order to save the lives of God’s servants. However, following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, we believe it is our duty to take revenge.

I offer my condolences to the Islamic Ummah; the Resistance Front; the courageous, proud people of Palestine; and in particular to the family and loved ones of Martyr Haniyeh and of one of his companions who was martyred beside him. May Almighty God elevate their ranks.

Three key points of the Leader’s message

Reviewing the message of the Leader of the revolution regarding this assassination shows that Iran's reaction to this Zionist regime’s action will be in accordance with this message.

In his message, the Leader has firstly held the Zionist regime responsible for this assassination. Secondly, he referred to the violation of Iranian territory, and thirdly, he called Iran's response with the phrase "severe punishments".

These three issues show that Iran's response to the Zionist regime will be outside the "gray zone" logic. In this sense, Iran has again emphasized that the attack took place inside its territory, which is known as an example of "aggression" based on the United Nations Charter. Consequently based on Article 51, the right to legitimate defense is regarded.

According to this article of the charter: "If a member of the United Nations is subjected to armed aggression, none of the provisions of this charter will harm the natural right of individual or social legitimate defense until the Security Council takes the necessary action to maintain international peace and security."

The content of this Ayatollah Khamenei's message is pretty similar to the one he sent regarding the aggression of the Zionist regime on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Back in that time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his Eid al-Fitr prayer sermons asserted, "When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our soil. "In international custom, an attack on the consulate and embassy of any country is considered an attack on that country's territory, and the evil Zionist regime must and will be punished for this crime."

In a separate message regarding the martyrdom of Mohammad Reza Zahedi, one of the senior commanders of the Quds Force along with 5 other members of this force, the Leader has said, "The evil regime will be punished by the hands of our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and similar ones."

In this message, the leader of the revolution emphasized the violation of Iran's territory, which subsequently Iran directly targeted the Zionist regime with drone and missile attacks.