Iran's Security Council convened for an emergency meeting on Wednesday following the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in the early hours of the morning. Iranian sources told Reuters that senior commanders from the Revolutionary Guards attended the meeting, where the council will determine Iran's strategic response to Haniyeh's assassination.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that, according to two official Iranian sources, the Supreme National Security Council meeting is being held at the residence of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the participation of Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards. Qaani succeeded the renowned Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by the U.S. in a 2020 airstrike in Iraq.
In its first official statement following the assassination, Iran's Foreign Ministry declared that "Haniyeh's martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen and deepen the unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance." Shortly thereafter, an Iranian source told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV channel that the missile used to kill Haniyeh was launched from outside Iran, framing the strike as an act of aggression against Iran that demands an inevitable response.
The Iranian news agency Nour News, considered close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, issued threats Wednesday morning, describing the assassination of Haniyeh as a "dangerous gamble to undermine Iran's deterrence," and warning that "crossing Iran's red lines has always cost the enemy dearly." Former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaee explicitly stated: "Israel will pay a heavy price for killing Haniyeh."
Amid the potential escalation in the Middle East following Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran and the attempted killing of senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr in Beirut last night, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin quickly declared that if Israel is attacked, the U.S. will help defend it. He also stated that he does not believe war in the Middle East is inevitable and that Washington will work hard to "help lower the temperatures."
The assassination of Haniyeh has already stirred Hamas' allies and sympathetic states. Hezbollah, which lost one of its top commanders in an assassination on Tuesday, issued a condolence statement: "Haniyeh was one of the great resistance leaders of our time, leaders who bravely stood against the U.S. and Israel and were ready to die as martyrs for the cause they believed in. His death will increase resistance across all fronts and strengthen resolve against Israel."
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Ismail Haniyeh meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian right before his assassination
(Photo: Iran's Presidency /WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS)
Qatar, which has hosted senior Hamas officials for years, condemned the assassination, warning that it represents a "dangerous escalation." Russia's Foreign Ministry, which has frequently received Hamas delegations in recent years, described Haniyeh's killing as an "utterly unacceptable political murder." Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Bogdanov said the assassination would also hinder cease-fire negotiations in Gaza.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, speculated to be a potential new home for senior Hamas officials, condemned the assassination, saying its aim is to escalate the war in Gaza into a regional conflict, and that it demonstrates the Netanyahu government's lack of intent to achieve peace.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned what he called the "murder of Haniyeh," warning that the situation has shifted from confrontation to overt danger following last night's assassination in Beirut. Mikati described Haniyeh's killing as a grave threat, calling on the world to force Israel to cease fire and comply with international decisions and laws.