Iran’s Quds Force Vows Retaliation for Haniyeh’s Assassination: Key Determinants of the Attack

The Head of Operations at Iran’s Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohsen Shizari, has emphasized Tehran’s determination to respond to the assassination of the elected Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. Shizari clarified that “the period of waiting for the response might be prolonged until the right circumstances arise.”

In an interview with a local newspaper on Wednesday, Shizari stated, “Iran’s reaction will undoubtedly be different, and the nature of this response should not be predetermined.”

He further added that “the quality and method of Iran’s response depend on the circumstances and conditions that will allow us to achieve our objectives,” noting that “the deliberation and restraint (regarding the delay in response) may continue until the proper conditions and environment are in place, so that our decisive response is fitting for the martyr Haniyeh.”

Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed his country’s commitment to responding to Haniyeh’s assassination in the capital, Tehran, stating that Tehran’s reaction will be “decisive and calculated.”

The Iranian Foreign Minister also noted that Tehran does not seek to “escalate tensions” in the Middle East, “but it does not fear it either,” indicating that “a response to the terrorist act committed by the Zionist entity in Tehran is inevitable.”

These Iranian statements come after Hezbollah carried out a large-scale attack on the Israeli occupation state in retaliation for the assassination of the prominent Lebanese military leader, Fouad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Since the martyrdom of Haniyeh in Tehran at the end of July, Iran has vowed to retaliate forcefully against the Israeli occupation state. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that “this entity has also prepared for itself severe punishment.”

The IRGC’s top commander, Major General Hossein Salami, asserted that “the enemy (the Israeli occupation state) will realize it miscalculated (by assassinating Haniyeh) when it receives the decisive response,” noting that “the Zionist entity has created a swamp of fire for itself and will fall into the traps it has set.”

The Israeli occupation state, through its Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, stressed that “Tel Aviv does not only expect the US-led coalition to repel an Iranian attack on it but also to strike important targets in Iran” amid Israel’s readiness for a possible Iranian attack.