Haniyeh's funeral in Tehran turns into a call for revenge against Israel
Iran and Hezbollah vowed to retaliate against the Jewish state after accusing the IDF of being behind the death of the Hamas political leader.
Haniyeh's funeral in Tehran.
Hamas leadership along with its allies held Ismail Haniyeh's funeral in Tehran, Iran's capital, on Thursday. The ceremony turned into a rally to condemn Israel, which is credited with eliminating the political leader of the Palestinian terrorist group.
The event took place at Tehran University, where thousands of people gathered, as reported by the Iranian media. After the funeral, Haniyeh's body will be transferred to Doha, the capital of Qatar, for burial.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei led the ceremony. During the ceremony, Khamenei vowed that Israel will suffer a "harsh punishment" for the death of the Hamas political leader.
According to AFP, Khamenei assured that it was his "duty to seek revenge" for Haniyeh's assassination. The death of the Hamas leader occurred in Tehran, when Haniyeh was about to hold talks with the Iranian government, the main backer of the Hamas terrorist group outside Gaza, on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Khamenei's calls for revenge were answered by other Iranian authorities, such as the speaker of the Islamist parliament, Mohammad Bagher, who assured that his country "will carry out the order of the supreme leader."
Haniyeh's colleagues also present at the event joined in these promises of revenge and to wipe out the State of Israel. Hamas' foreign relations chief, Khalil Al Hayya, assured during the ceremony that "Ismail Haniyeh's slogan, 'We will not recognize Israel,' will remain an immortal slogan. ... We will pursue Israel until we uproot it from the land of Palestine," he said.
Funeral in Beirut for Fuad Shukr
In parallel to Haniyeh's funeral in Tehran, the funeral of Hezbollah's military leader Fuad Shukr was held in Beirut. The leader of the Shiite terrorist organization, Hasan Nasrallah, led the ceremony.
Nasrallah assured that armed retaliation against Israel following the deaths of Fuad Skukr in Beirut and Haniyeh in Tehran is "inevitable." Along with the deaths of these two senior commanders, the elimination of Mohammed Deif, Hamas' military chief, was also confirmed. The Israel Defense Forces shot him down in Gaza in early July.
"The enemy, and those behind the enemy, must abide by the fact that a response from us is inevitable," the Hezbollah chief said in remarks reported by AFP. "Israel does not know the red lines it crossed," he added.
Haniyeh was killed with a bomb hidden in his Tehran hotel
According to U.S. sources, Haniyeh was killed by a disguised bomb explosion at the hotel where he was staying. The explosive device was placed in Haniyeh's residence, despite the fact that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. was in charge of protecting the hotel.
The explosive was hidden for more than a month and was activated remotely. The execution of the plot casts serious doubt on the capabilities of Iranian intelligence to protect high-value individuals like Haniyeh.
Israel is 'ready for every scenario'
Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a televised address to Israel this Wednesday. It was the prime minister's first major appearance after the latest attacks that killed Ismail Haniyeh, Fuad Shukr and other Hezbollah and Hamas commanders.
During his address, Netanyahu declared that the coming days will be challenging. "Since the strike in Beirut, threats are being sounded from everywhere," he said, as reported by The Times of Israel. "We are ready for every scenario," he vowed, "and will stand united and determined against every threat."
Following Netanyahu's announcement, several airlines canceled flights to the region for the next few days.
US vows to defend Israel
In the event of retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah, the United States will again offer assistance and protection to Israel, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Wednesday during a press conference.
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