Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that Tehran’s retaliation over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh may only come after a long wait, according to Reuters.
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in late July, hours after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Following the incident, Iran promised to inflict “harsh punishment” on Israel, which has neither denied nor acknowledged any role in the killing. The Middle East has been bracing for Iran’s avowed retaliation, which has not so far materialized.
“Time is in our favor and the waiting period for this response could be long,” Alimohammad Naini, spokesperson for IRGC, an elite and influential branch of the Iranian military, reportedly said on Tuesday, adding “the enemy” should wait for a “calculated and accurate” response.
Naini was also cited by local media as saying that Iranian leaders were weighing the circumstances and that the response might not be a repeat of the Islamic Republic’s previous operations.
In April, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response to the latter’s bombing of its consulate in Syria. The barrage was mostly countered by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, but a number of missiles did reach their targets, causing what Israel claimed was minimal damage to military installations.
The killing of Haniyeh has sparked global concerns about an all-out war between Israel and Iran.
The US has asked allies that have ties with Iran to persuade it to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending Israel but said that all parties in the Middle East, including Israel, should refrain from escalatory actions.
Defusing tensions is vital not only to prevent a major conflict in the region, Blinken said, but also to enable a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The US secretary of state is currently in the region seeking progress towards a Gaza ceasefire.
According to Naini, Tehran supports any move that would lead to an end to the war in Gaza. However, he added that “we do not consider the US actions sincere. We consider the US to be a party to the [Gaza] war,” he said.
Hostilities between Israel and Hamas broke out after the militant group launched a surprise incursion into southern Israel from Gaza on October 7 of last year, resulting in the deaths of around 1,100 people, while 200 others were taken hostage. The massive Israeli military response has claimed more than 40,000 lives, while another 92,857 people have been wounded, according to Palestinian health officials.