Haniyeh's assassination: Iran and its allies vow retaliation
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Associated Press photo.
Tehran: In a fresh update from the Middle East, Iran and its regional allies pledged to avenge the deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. Following the death of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh, which has escalated the situation in the Middle East, mourners flocked to Tehran calling for revenge, Agence France-Presse reported.
Tehran organized a public funeral for Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, where he was killed early on Wednesday in an alleged Israeli attempt. Israel has yet to comment on the allegations.
Following the public funeral, Haniyeh's body was flown to Qatar, where he was laid to rest on Friday.
When Hamas called for a "day of furious rage" in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said that Israel and its allies must wait for their inevitable response. Nasrallah was addressing the funeral crowd.
Senior Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr and Haniyeh were killed within hours of each other. Nasrallah warned that those who committed the killings do not know what red lines they crossed.
However, Israel reasoned that Shukr was assassinated as a response to deadly rockets launched at Golan Heights last week. On Thursday, it warned its adversaries that they would pay a hefty price for any aggression. Israel is highly prepared for any scenario, defensive or offensive, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. He added that those who attack them would be attacked back.
AFP learned from close sources to Hezbollah that Iranian officials had met in Tehran on Wednesday, where representatives of the "axis of resistance" were present. "Axis of resistance" is an alliance backed by Tehran which contains groups that are in conflict with Israel. The alliance discussed two scenarios, which are a simultaneous response from Iran and its allies or a staggered response from each party.