Ayatollah orders attack on Israel after Hamas leader's death

The highest spiritual and political leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, The New York Times reports. This is intended as retaliation for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Mr. Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced that Mr. Haniyeh had been killed, according to The New York Times, which confirmed this information with three Iranian officials.

Earlier, an official statement from the Ayatollah was released, in which it was stated that Israel has prepared a "severe punishment for itself," which Iran will deliver. He added that Haniyeh was a "dear guest in our home".

The Hamas leader was in the capital of Iran on Tuesday for the inauguration of the country's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian also vowed revenge, saying that "Iran will defend its sovereignty, dignity, reputation, and honour."

The murder of the Hamas leader will be met with a "harsh and painful response" - it was stated in a statement issued by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. "Iran and the resistance front will respond to this crime," it added, using the term that Tehran employs to refer to allied Islamic militias in the Middle East.

In connection with Haniyeh's death, the Iranian government has declared three days of national mourning.

The funeral ceremonies for the Hamas leader will take place on Thursday in Tehran, after which his body will be transported to the capital of Qatar, Doha, where he will be buried - the Palestinian movement said in a statement.