In the wake of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Iran is mobilising what it calls the “axis of resistance” against Israel. High-ranking officials have been summoned to Tehran for consultations, raising fears of a dangerous escalation in the Middle East.
Five sources with knowledge of the developments revealed to Reuters that senior officials from countries aligned with Tehran and opposed to Tel Aviv and the U.S met Thursday (1/8), to decide their response to Israel. This coalition includes Hamas — the Palestinian organisation that ignited the war in Gaza by attacking Israel on October 7 — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Shia armed groups in Iraq and Syria. There are also reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior Revolutionary Guard officials will be present, which would be particularly significant if confirmed.
The agenda is expected to include discussions on retaliation against Israel, which has delivered significant blows recently, including the assassinations of Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif, and a raid in Lebanon that resulted in the death of senior Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukur.
The New York Times reported that Ayatollah Khamenei ordered an immediate strike on Israel, but the method and scale of the retaliation have yet to be decided. Options on the table include a coordinated drone and missile attack on military targets in the Tel Aviv and Haifa regions, or an attack from multiple fronts, such as Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
“Iran and the resistance members will conduct a thorough assessment after the Tehran meeting to find the best and most effective way to retaliate against the Zionist regime,” said a senior Iranian official with direct knowledge of the meeting.
Iran’s threats of reprisals that will make Israel, referred to by Iran and its allies as the “axis of evil,” regret their actions have rekindled fears that the Middle East is entering a new, dangerous phase with global consequences.
“The response to the martyrdom of Haniyeh will be stronger than ever,” said former senior Revolutionary Guards commander Esmail Kosari on state television.
On 13 April, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for a suspected fatal strike on its embassy complex in Damascus on 1 April, although almost all were intercepted.
Israel prepared for any scenario
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country is “at a very high level of readiness for any scenario, both defensively and offensively,” and promised to exact a “very heavy price for any act of aggression against us from any front.”
“After we neutralised the Hezbollah chief of staff yesterday (1/8), today came the final verification of the neutralisation of Hamas chief of staff Mohammed Deif. Deif was responsible for the horrific massacre of October 7 and many murderous attacks against Israeli citizens. He was Israel’s number one most wanted for years,” Netanyahu said after a briefing from military and government officials.
“His elimination establishes a simple principle we have adopted: Whoever harms us, we harm them.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel has not claimed responsibility nor commented officially on Haniyeh’s death in Tehran.
According to Axios, citing a source close to the Prime Minister’s office, Netanyahu will later hold a telephone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden about the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Hezbollah leader Nasrallah promises revenge
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sent a message to Israel promising revenge for the death of the Hezbollah senior official.
“The enemy and those who stand with them should expect the upcoming retaliation which will surely come without any doubt,” he said, referring to Israel.
“The Israelis are happy now, but they have crossed a red line,” and must now expect “anger and revenge on all fronts supporting Gaza,” referring to Iranian-backed forces in the Middle East.
First casualties of the dramatic developments
Netanyahu’s decision to throw down the gauntlet and show that Israel can strike its enemies anytime, anywhere, immediately impacted ceasefire negotiations and hostage release efforts, in which Haniyeh played a crucial role.
The royal family of Qatar, which, along with Egypt, tried to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, also emerged as a loser from these developments. The Al Thani family has a long and complex relationship with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Egypt, given that Hamas is an offshoot of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
For decades, Qatar has been a haven for Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including Haniyeh and his likely successor Khaled Meshaal.
With rich oil and gas reserves, Qatar has supported Islamist groups across the Middle East. This realist policy has given the country immense prestige as it mediates agreements between Western countries and groups like the Taliban.
However, Qatar’s failure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the assassination of Haniyeh cast doubt on its role as a peace mediator in the Middle East.
The absence of a ceasefire means that the besieged population of Gaza will find no respite from the war, which has so far killed more than 40,000 people, while entire areas have been leveled and the humanitarian crisis is peaking.
