As the Middle East grapples with tensions rising up multiple notches after the recent spate of high profile assassinations of the Hamas chief in Tehran and the Hezbollah commander in Lebanon, Iran is mulling to “harshly punish” Israel at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei‘s order, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deputy commander was quoted as saying by local news agencies.
“The supreme leader’s orders regarding the harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit … and they will be implemented in the best possible way,” Al Jazeera quoted Ali Fadavi as saying.
However, media reports also suggest that IRGC auhtorities are not able to strike a consensus on the ways to respond to the Jewish state’s “aggression”, with few of them staunchly rooting for a direct strike on prominent cities of Israel.
Meanwhile, outgoing US president Joe Biden and the White House have insisted that the US is ready to defend Israel with plenty of resources in the region. “When we hear rhetoric like that we’ve got to take it seriously, and we do, ” National security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.
The vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris vying to take over the reigns from President Biden also has reiterated Israel’s right to self defense on multiple occasions and on Friday urged a ceasefire deal at the earliest in the interest of releasing hostages from captivity.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations on Friday reiterated that Tehran’s response to the assassination of Haniyeh by Israel as “unrelated” to ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Egypt, and Qatar have also urged Israel and Hamas to meet on August 15 in Doha or Cairo to strike a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. Israel has agreed to attend, while Hamas is still considering the proposal.
Since the conflict began on October 7 after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, there have been significant casualties on both sides. According to Gaza health officials, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, with many more feared dead under the rubble so far.
“The supreme leader’s orders regarding the harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit … and they will be implemented in the best possible way,” Al Jazeera quoted Ali Fadavi as saying.
However, media reports also suggest that IRGC auhtorities are not able to strike a consensus on the ways to respond to the Jewish state’s “aggression”, with few of them staunchly rooting for a direct strike on prominent cities of Israel.
Meanwhile, outgoing US president Joe Biden and the White House have insisted that the US is ready to defend Israel with plenty of resources in the region. “When we hear rhetoric like that we’ve got to take it seriously, and we do, ” National security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.
The vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris vying to take over the reigns from President Biden also has reiterated Israel’s right to self defense on multiple occasions and on Friday urged a ceasefire deal at the earliest in the interest of releasing hostages from captivity.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations on Friday reiterated that Tehran’s response to the assassination of Haniyeh by Israel as “unrelated” to ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Egypt, and Qatar have also urged Israel and Hamas to meet on August 15 in Doha or Cairo to strike a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. Israel has agreed to attend, while Hamas is still considering the proposal.
Since the conflict began on October 7 after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, there have been significant casualties on both sides. According to Gaza health officials, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, with many more feared dead under the rubble so far.