The New York Times, citing Iranian officials, has reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a direct order for an attack on Israel.
According to three Iranian officials privy to the directive, Khamenei’s order came in retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, in Tehran. These officials, including two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that the Supreme Leader gave the order during an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced Haniyeh’s death.
Both Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the assassination. Israel, currently engaged in a conflict with Hamas in Gaza, has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in Haniyeh’s killing, which took place as he was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
The New York Times noted that Israel has a history of targeting individuals abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders.
Over the nearly 10 months of the Gaza conflict, Iran has sought to strike a balance: applying pressure on Israel through intensified attacks by its allies and proxies in the region while avoiding a full-scale war between the two nations.
