Israel’s foes plan their revenge
TOP Iranian officials were meeting the representatives of Iran’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen yesterday to discuss potential retaliation against Israel after the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran, five sources told Reuters.
The region faces a risk of widened conflict between Israel, Iran and its proxies after Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran on Wednesday and the killing of Hezbollah’s senior commander on Tuesday in an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Representatives of Iran’s Palestinian allies Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as well as Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi movement, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi resistance groups will attend the meeting in Tehran, said the sources.
“Iran and the resistance members will conduct a thorough assessment after the meeting in Tehran to find the best and most effective way to retaliate against the Zionist regime (Israel),” said a senior Iranian official, with direct knowledge of the meeting.
Another Iranian official said Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards would attend.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the strike that killed Haniyeh hours after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran on Wednesday.
But Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for the attack that drew threats of revenge on Israel and fuelled further concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza was turning into an all-out war in the Middle East.
Israeli air force chief Tomer Bar warned that Israel would act against anyone planning to harm its citizens.
Haniyeh and the leader of the Islamic Jihad, Ziad al-Nakhala, as well as senior representatives of Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi movement and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, attended the inauguration ceremony for Iran’s new president in Tehran on Tuesday.
Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassim and MP Hassan Fadlallah were in Iran for the inauguration and have remained there for the funeral and meeting, sources said. Hamas’ armed wing has said that Haniyeh’s killing would “take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions”.
Vowing to retaliate, Iran said the US bore responsibility because of its support for Israel. Iranians turned out to mourn Haniyeh yesterday. The Iran-backed Axis of Resistance includes
Hamas – the Palestinian group that ignited the war in Gaza by attacking Israel on October 7 – Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and various Shi’a armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
On April 13, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in what it said was retaliation for Israel’s suspected deadly strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, but almost all were shot down.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said yesterday that the head of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza last month. Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds of Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel which triggered the Gaza war. Hamas neither confirmed nor denied the killing of Deif, but one official, Ezzat Rashaq, said any word on deaths of its leaders was its responsibility alone.
Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran..
Yesterday, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Haniyeh’s death would not weaken the group’s fighters in Gaza.
But his death was the latest in a series that has targeted the group’s leaders. Haniyeh’s deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, was killed in a drone strike in Beirut in January. In March, Israel said it had killed Marwan Issa, Deif’s deputy.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Deif’s death was a milestone in Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas’ military wing, known as Al-Qassam Brigades.
One of Hamas’ most dominant figures, Deif rose through the group’s ranks over 30 years, developing its network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise. He has topped Israel’s most wanted list for decades, held personally responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings. Scores of Palestinians were killed in the airstrike that killed him, medics in Gaza say.
The other mastermind of the October 7 attack, Yahaya Sinwar, is still believed to be directing military operations, possibly from bunkers beneath Gaza, while playing a leading role in indirect negotiations with Israel for a prisoner swop deal. But now on the 300th day of warfare in Gaza, hopes for a hostage deal and ceasefire have dimmed.
Yesterday, the Israeli military said it struck against dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza, including fighters and infrastructure. At least 13 people had been killed in the Israeli bombardments across the enclave, Gaza medics said.