Iran says short-range missile killed Hamas leader

(Patria) - Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced that a short-range missile killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack for which they blamed Israel, state television reported on Saturday, AP reported.

In a televised statement, which reiterated calls for retaliation, it stated that a missile with a seven-kilogram warhead was used to target the residence of the Hamas leader in Tehran on Wednesday, adding that it caused heavy destruction. They did not provide details about the location of the residence.

Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of the newly elected Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

"The action was conceived and carried out by the Zionist regime, and supported by the US," the Guard's statement said. It added that "the warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive a severe punishment at the appropriate time, place, and with appropriate capacity."

Israel has not confirmed nor denied its role in the killing of Haniyeh, but had previously vowed to kill him and other Hamas leaders for the group's October 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

The assassination has raised fears of a wider regional conflict and a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran if Tehran retaliates.

In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel. The barrage followed less than two weeks after an Israeli strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals, and it was the first time Iran had launched a direct military attack on Israel despite decades of hostility dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Hamas, the group that leads the Gaza Strip, issued a statement on Saturday saying it had launched a broad consultation process to select a new leader for its movement following the killing of its former leader Ismail Haniyeh, Reuters reported.

Haniyeh was killed early on Wednesday in Iran's capital, where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran and Hamas have vowed to retaliate against Israel for this attack. Israel has not confirmed nor denied its role in the killing of Haniyeh.