Tehran, Aug 1 (IANS) Iran would seek revenge for the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh in a “well-managed” way without escalating the regional crisis, an Iranian expert said.
“We would witness an escalation of tension in the region, but in a managed way,” Hassan Beheshtipour, a Tehran-based international affairs analyst, told Xinhua.
Beheshtipour emphasised that intensifying the crisis is not in Iran’s interest nor in that of the resistance groups. He noted Iran’s past actions, such as its measured response to the deadly Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria in early April, as examples of Iran’s strategic approach, Xinhua news agency reported.
Haniyeh, who was invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, was killed along with his bodyguard early Wednesday when their residence in Tehran was hit, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, which accused Israel of carrying out the “terrorist attack” and vowed “a harsh and painful response.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel had prepared the ground for a “harsh punishment” for itself.
The alleged Israeli assassination of Haniyeh occurred a day after Israel claimed that a strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut had killed Fouad Shokor, Hezbollah’s top military commander.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would respond with overwhelming force to any counter-attacks, following the deaths of Haniyeh and Shokor.
He said the country is prepared “for any scenario,” adding it “will exact a very heavy price against any aggression — from any front.”
–IANS
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