IRAN has ordered an attack on Israel following the killing of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, Iranian officials have said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, issued the order during an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, just after Iran claimed that Haniyeh had been slain.
Iran, a staunch backer of Hamas, said it is "Tehran's duty" to seek "revenge for Ismail Haniyeh's blood" after he was killed in the capital.
In a statement on his official website, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "revenge was our duty and that Israel had prepared a harsh punishment for itself by killing a dear guest in our home."
Haniyeh's killing also could prompt Hamas to pull out of negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the 10-month-old war in Gaza, which US mediators had said were making progress.
And it could inflame already rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which international diplomats were trying to contain after a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 young people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Israel carried out a rare strike Tuesday evening in the Lebanese capital that it said killed a top Hezbollah commander allegedly behind the rocket strike.
Hezbollah, which denied any role in the Golan strike, confirmed the death of Fouad Shukur on Wednesday, saying he was in the building that was hit.
The strike also killed three women and two children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Middle East is now teetering at its most tumultuous point since the October 7 massacre last year which sparked a brutal war in Gaza.
Iran and Hamas accused Israel of Haniyeh's assassination.
But Israel, which is at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has neither admitted nor denied murdering the terror boss, who was in Tehran to attend Iran's new president's inauguration.
The assassination was potentially explosive amid the region's volatile, intertwined conflicts because of its target, its timing and the decision to carry it out in Tehran.
Most dangerous was the potential to push Iran and Israel into direct confrontation if Iran retaliates.
The US and other nations scrambled to prevent a wider, deadlier conflict.
Iran's chilling order came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broadcast speech on Wednesday night.
Speaking at a news conference in Tel Aviv, the PM said that when it comes to threats against Israel, the country is prepared for any scenario.
He vowed: "Israel will make anyone who is against us pay a very heavy price."
Netanyahu added he "will not give in" to voices calling for the end to the war.
"There has not been a single week when I have not been told domestically and from outside the country: end the war," he said.
"I did not give in to those voices and I will not give in to them today."
The Israeli Prime Minister also said the government has made "brave, courageous decisions" despite external pressure.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
He said: "We will continue to fight together, and with God's help, we will reign victorious."
Iran revealed its bone-chilling war chest in April, including terrifying long-range missiles that can cross the Red Sea to pummel Israel directly.
More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
