Reuters: Islamic Republic Officials and Proxies Discuss 'Retaliatory Action Against Israel'

On Thursday, August 2, Reuters reported, citing five informed sources, that following the killing of Hamas leader in Tehran, senior officials of the Islamic Republic met with representatives of Iran-aligned groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen to discuss potential retaliatory actions against Israel. According to the report, representatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Yemen's Houthis, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups will meet in Tehran. After the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday morning, August 1, and the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander on Tuesday in an Israeli attack near Beirut, the risk of escalation between Israel, the Islamic Republic, and its regional proxies has increased. On Wednesday, major American and British airlines announced to their passengers that they were canceling flights to Israel due to rising tensions with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Republic. Delta and British Airways have canceled their flights until August 2, and United Airlines has announced that its flights will not operate until August 6. According to some reports, the cancellations by United and Delta, the second and third largest airlines in the world, are likely to trigger a wave of cancellations by other airlines. Earlier, The New York Times reported, citing 'three Iranian officials,' that Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, ordered a 'direct attack on Israel' in response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the terrorist group Hamas, in Tehran. According to the American newspaper, these 'three Iranian officials, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards,' stated that Khamenei issued this order during an 'emergency meeting' of the Supreme National Security Council shortly after the announcement of Haniyeh's death. The three requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Khamenei himself has also promised 'revenge' for Ismail Haniyeh on social media. The Islamic Republic and the Palestinian group Hamas have blamed Israel for Haniyeh's killing in Tehran. Haniyeh had met with Ali Khamenei just hours before his death on Tuesday and was warmly welcomed by the Supreme Leader, who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel. Haniyeh and Ziad al-Nakhala, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad group, who also attended the meeting with Khamenei, participated in the swearing-in ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian in the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Tuesday. In response to Haniyeh's killing, Prince Reza Pahlavi issued a statement on Wednesday saying that Ismail Haniyeh should never have entered Iranian territory, calling his presence in Iran 'an insult to the Iranian nation and country.' The Islamic Republic, which is itself under sanctions, has not disclosed the amount it annually provides to Hamas, but various estimates have suggested these funds amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. The Islamic Republic is referred to as 'the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.' Following the deaths of several Revolutionary Guards commanders in an attack on a building near the Islamic Republic's embassy in Damascus, the capital of Syria, Iran fired over 300 missiles and drones at Israel. According to Israeli officials, only a handful of those missiles and drones penetrated the country's air defenses without causing significant damage to Israeli facilities, and most were intercepted. Some reports indicate that in response to that attack, Israel targeted part of an S-300 air defense system in Isfahan with long-range ground-to-air missiles, sending a significant message to the Islamic Republic regarding its military capabilities. Iranian officials denied the Israeli missile attack, although satellite images released later in early April showed damage to the S-300 site in Isfahan. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the then Iranian Foreign Minister, stated in an interview with NBC News at that time: 'What happened was not an attack. They were more like toys that our children played with, not drones.' Nasser Kanani, the then spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, later reiterated this denial, stating to reporters: 'Relevant officials have announced that this attack caused no damage and that Iran's air defense system performed its duties. Therefore, we believe this issue is not worth discussing.' Kamal Kharrazi, Khamenei's advisor, also claimed that the attack on the defensive facilities in Isfahan was carried out by 'mini-drones' that, according to him, had previously entered Iran. According to some reports, Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a missile at a location designated for him by Iranian officials in northern Tehran. It has been reported that one of his bodyguards was also killed. It is unclear whether Khamenei has called for a stronger response following Haniyeh's killing compared to the previous reaction to the deaths of several military commanders in Damascus. Many experts have described Haniyeh's killing in Tehran, especially on the day of Masoud Pezeshkian's swearing-in, as 'humiliating.' Meanwhile, several non-Iranian social media users supporting the Palestinian group Hamas appear to view the circumstances surrounding Haniyeh's killing with suspicion towards the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Qaydi: Haniyeh's killing challenged the Islamic Republic's prestige. The Islamic Republic's proxy forces in Tehran, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq are under fire. Diverse reactions from social media users to the killing of the political leader of Hamas. Norman Roll: The Islamic Republic will activate all its proxy forces. Khamenei's and Iranian officials' reactions to Ismail Haniyeh's killing in Tehran. The U.S. firmly denied any involvement in Ismail Haniyeh's killing in Tehran.