Iran is preparing to carry out an order by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to “severely punish” Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, a deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said.
“The Supreme Leader’s orders regarding harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit… and will be implemented in the best possible way,” Ali Fadavi was quoted as saying by Iranian media on Friday.
Hamas political chief Haniyeh, 62, was assassinated in Iran's capital Tehran in July after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for Haniyeh's killing, but the Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
Tehran has since vowed to retaliate against Israel, which has a history of assassinating enemies across the region, including Iran.
Asked by reporters to respond to the Iranian comments, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the United States was ready to defend Israel with abundant resources in the region.
“When we hear rhetoric like that we have to take it seriously, and we do,” Kirby said Friday.
Last week, the US military also announced the deployment of additional assets to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, amid growing concerns over the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
But the United States and other Western countries have also called for a detente. On Thursday, the United States, Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement urging Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, said the US does not want a broader regional escalation so close to its elections in November.
“The fact that Washington – along with other mediating countries – is pushing for ceasefire talks in Gaza… is a sign that it wants to put as much pressure as possible on Iran and delay a possible attack on Israel,” he said.
Bishara added, however, that the chances of Netanyahu agreeing to a ceasefire “have almost always been zero.”
According to Bishara, Hamas will want real guarantees that the war will not continue, reconstruction will be allowed and Israeli soldiers will withdraw from the enclave.
It is also unclear whether Iran would suspend its response to Haniyeh's killing if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Hamas chose Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, to succeed Haniyeh as the new head of its political bureau.
Hamas's armed wing spokesman, Abu Obeida, said the Qassam Brigades backed Sinwar and were “fully prepared to carry out his decisions.”
In a brief statement on Friday, Obeida said that naming Sinwar as the group's new political chief showed that Hamas “is still alive and strong.”
Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut said the possible resumption of ceasefire talks would mark the first round of negotiations with Sinwar as Hamas leader. It is unclear how Sinwar, who is wanted by Israel and remains in an undisclosed location in Gaza, will be able to convey messages to the mediators.
Salhut added that Netanyahu “is seen as a hardliner and has published a list of non-negotiable points for mediation.”
“So it remains to be seen exactly what will come out of these discussions, but there is certainly a lot of tension across the region that countries like the United States are trying to calm by saying that perhaps a ceasefire agreement in Gaza would promote regional stability,” he said.
