Tehran, Iran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. and accused the United States of supporting the attack, which he blamed on Israel, state television reported Saturday.
The televised statement, which reiterated a call for retaliation, said a rocket with a seven-kilogram (about 15 pound) warhead was used Wednesday against the residence of Hamas’s political leader in the capital, Tehran, adding that it caused a large devastation. He did not share details of the location of the residence.
Haniyeh He was in Iran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the United States,” the Guard statement said. He added that “the warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive harsh punishment at the appropriate time, place and capacity.”
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its role in the murder of Haniyehbut Israel previously vowed to kill him and other Hamas leaders over the group’s decision. October 7 attack in southern Israel that unleashed the war in Gaza.
The assassination has raised fears of a broader regional conflict and a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran if Tehran retaliates.
President Joe Biden was asked Saturday night in Wilmington, Delaware, if he thought Iran would withdraw. He replied: “I hope so. I don’t know.”
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones against Israel, which said it intercepted 99%. The bombing came less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals, and marked the first time Iran launched a direct military attack against Israel despite decades of enmity dating back to the Islamic Revolution. of 1979 in the country.
Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israel militant groups, including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
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Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.
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