Ayatollah Khamenei issues order to strike Israel directly: Report

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued an order to strike Israel directly in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, according to a report.

Three Iranian officials, including two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, told the New York Times the order was issued after an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday. The reported order comes as the Iranian government publicly vowed retaliation after the head of one of its allies was killed in the heart of its capital.

However, the exact nature of the attack is still unclear and possibly not even decided yet. The Iranian officials said multiple options are being considered, including missile and drone strikes against military targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa. Another option being considered is a coordinated attack from Iran, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.

The officials also said Iran would make a point not to hit civilian targets, likely to avoid escalation.

Khamenei also told the armed forces to prepare for a potential response from Israel or even the United States, anticipating a possible expansion of the war.

The description of the retaliation options sounds similar to that undertaken by Iran in April in response to the assassination of an IRGC leader and other officers in a Damascus air strike.

In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct missile attack against Israel, though most of the missiles were intercepted and Israel suffered only minor casualties and damage.

Hezbollah, a close ally of Iran based in Lebanon, is also likely planning retaliation for the assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Iran and the group could coordinate their response to raise their chances of breaching Israel’s vaunted missile defense system.