Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed that a short-range projectile led to the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack, which it attributed to Israel, according to state TV on Saturday.
The statement, broadcasted on television, called for retaliation and detailed that a rocket with a seven-kilogram warhead targeted the residence of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran on Wednesday, resulting in significant devastation. Specific details about the residence’s location were not provided.
Haniyeh was in Iran for the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“The action was orchestrated and executed by the Zionist regime with U.S. support,” the Guard’s statement declared. It also warned that “the aggressive and terrorist Zionist regime will face severe punishment at an appropriate time, place, and manner.”
While Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in Haniyeh’s killing, it had previously vowed to target him and other Hamas leaders following the group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which ignited the war in Gaza.
The assassination has raised concerns about a broader regional conflict and a potential direct confrontation between Israel and Iran if Tehran chooses to retaliate.
When asked in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday night whether he believed Iran would de-escalate, President Joe Biden said: “I hope so. I don’t know.”
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, which claimed to have intercepted 99% of them. This barrage occurred less than two weeks after an alleged Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals and marked Iran’s first direct military assault on Israel despite longstanding hostilities dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran does not recognize Israel and backs anti-Israeli militant groups, including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.