Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei announced revenge against Israel following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and said that the country has prepared the ground for a severe punishment.
Meanwhile, Iran has raised the red flag of revenge on the dome of the Jamkaran mosque in the city of Qom.
"Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge," Khamenei said in a post on X.
"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," the Iranian leader said in another post.
Hamas said on Wednesday that its political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”. Haniyeh, 62, was killed in the Iranian capital shortly after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly elected president.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a statement saying Tehran will defend its territorial integrity and dignity. He also vowed to make Israel ‘regret cowardly action’.
"Martyrdom is the art of men of God. The bond between the two proud nations of Iran and Palestine will be stronger than before, and the path of resistance and defense of the oppressed will be followed stronger than ever. The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, honor, dignity and pride, and make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly action," the statement said.