Iran’s supreme leader ordered a direct strike on Israel hours after top Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike early Wednesday, according to a report Wednesday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued the command during an emergency meeting of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, which convened shortly after the assassination, the New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials briefed on the matter.
Iran and Hamas both blamed Israel for the deadly airstrike on Haniyeh, though Israel has not commented on the killing.
Haniyeh, who was the Palestinian terror group’s political leader, was in Iran for the inauguration of the country’s new president when he was killed.
It was not immediately clear what options Iran forces would pursue, but military commanders are considering a combination of drones and missiles that would target military facilities near Tel Aviv and Haifa, according to the Times, citing the Iranian officials.
The strikes would attempt to avoid civilian casualties, the officials claimed.