Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range rocket killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. They accused Israel and the US of supporting the attack, according to state TV.
The attack used a rocket with a seven-kilogram warhead, targeting Haniyeh's home in Tehran. The explosion caused heavy damage, but details of the exact location were not shared.
Haniyeh attended the inauguration of Iran's new President, Masoud Pezeshkian. The Revolutionary Guard condemned the attack, calling it an act by the "Zionist regime" supported by the US. They promised harsh revenge.
"The Zionist regime will face severe punishment at the right time and place," the statement declared.
Israel had threatened to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, which sparked the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Haniyeh's killing has raised fears of a bigger conflict in the region. If Iran retaliates, it could lead to direct fighting between Iran and Israel.
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, saying the attacks were in response to the killing of two Iranian generals in Syria by a suspected Israeli strike. Israel stopped 99 percent of these attacks.
This incident marked the first direct military attack by Iran on Israel since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The region now faces more tension and the threat of more violence.
