Israel braces for retaliation; Iran says Haniyeh killing was ‘big mistake’

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi paid a rare visit to Tehran, delivering a message from Jordanian King Abdullah II about the “dangerous escalation” taking place in the region.

Safadi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday. According to state media, the Iranian president said during the talks that the assassination of Haniyeh was a “big mistake” and “will not go unanswered.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting of his security cabinet on Sunday to discuss preparations for any counterstrike.

In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu said that Israel is “determined to stand” against Iran and its proxies “on every front and in every arena — near and far.”

At least 30 Palestinians were killed on Sunday in strikes on two schools in Gaza City, where thousands of displaced people were sheltering, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense said. The Israel Defense Forces said the strikes targeted Hamas militants using the schools as “command and control centers.”

Also Sunday, two people were killed in a stabbing attack by a Palestinian in a Tel Aviv suburb, according to Israeli authorities.

Here’s what else to know

President Biden will convene his national security team to discuss Middle East developments on Monday, according to the White House. He is also set to speak with King Abdullah II of Jordan. Jordan is a close Western ally and helped intercept Iranian weapons fired toward Israel in April.

At least 39,583 people have been killed and 91,398 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 329 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.