Thursday , 6 February 2025

Iranwire Exclusive: No Order from Khamenei to Directly Attack Israel

Iranwire – Iran’s Supreme Leader has not ordered a direct attack on Israel in the aftermath of a Hamas leader’s assassination in Tehran, a source within his office told IranWire. 

“The Islamic Republic will definitely seek revenge to preserve its reputation, but the target has not yet been determined. 

“This could be an Israeli embassy, an official in a third country, or even a location within Israel,” the source added.

The source emphasized that the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran have decided to retaliate this time, in contrast to the more restrained approach seen during the rocket attacks on April 13. 

This comes in the context of a New York Times report, which, citing three informed officials, claimed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had ordered a direct attack on Israel. 

According to the New York Times, this decision was made by Khamenei during a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council shortly after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday along with one of his bodyguards.

Haniyeh, the most senior Hamas official outside of Gaza and a key figure in hostage negotiations, was struck by an “airborne projectile” at 2 am local time.

The incident occurred while he was staying at a special veterans’ residence in northern Tehran.

The Hamas leader was in the Iranian capital to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. The event drew other prominent figures from the so-called “Axis of Resistance.”

Senior Iranian officials have pointed to “Zionists” being responsible for the killing, while analysts on Iranian state television explicitly accused Israel.

Ali Khamenei vowed punishment for Israel after Haniyeh was killed in Tehran.

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