Hamas Envoy in Tehran: Iran's Response to Israel's Actions Will Be 'Definite and Decisive'

According to SAEDNEWS, Khaled Qaddoumi, the representative of Hamas in Tehran, has stated that Iran's response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, will be "definite and decisive" and will occur at "a substantial level."

Addressing the media on Monday, Qaddoumi emphasized that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has assured Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza, that retaliation for Haniyeh's assassination is not only expected but deemed necessary. He noted that President Pezeshkian believes nothing short of a decisive action would suffice in response to the tragic killing.

The Representative also mentioned that Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf reaffirmed, during recent meetings with Hamas officials, the clarity and firmness of Iran’s anticipated response, which he described as "different in kind and manner."

Qaddoumi underscored the importance of responding to Israeli actions, stating, “Experience has proven that the Zionist regime will press ahead with its crimes in case it does not receive an answer… The most important reason why a criminal like [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is forging ahead with its genocide is the absence of diplomatic pressures from the United States. He does not feel such strains.”

He expressed concern over the lack of external pressure on Israel, lamenting that the occupying regime in Tel Aviv is not facing accountability from any party in West Asia or beyond. While acknowledging the difficulty in gauging the exact nature of Iran's forthcoming response, Qaddoumi maintained that Iran's retaliation to Haniyeh's assassination is indisputable.

The necessity for a decisive Iranian response is echoed within Iran itself, with Qaddoumi highlighting that this sentiment has been reinforced by Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Pezeshkian.

Haniyeh was assassinated in an attack on July 31 while he was in Tehran attending the inauguration ceremony of President Pezeshkian, alongside other leaders from the Axis of Resistance. Following the assassination, Ayatollah Khamenei issued a strong warning to the Israeli regime, declaring that the blood of the Palestinian resistance leader necessitates a "harsh response." He stated, "The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our homeland and left us bereaved, but it also set the ground for a harsh punishment for itself."