The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran will decide the timing of its response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, keeping the Israelis in limbo.
Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, the IRGC’s spokesman and deputy head of the Public Relations Department, made the remarks during a press conference on Tuesday.
He said Iran’s response might not necessarily be a repetition of the previous operations against the Israeli regime.
“The Zionist regime had set certain goals in the assassination of Haniyeh, but it achieved none. The enemy thought it could compensate for its failure on the battlefield through assassinating Haniyeh, but, on the contrary, the Resistance front has become even stronger.”
Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were assassinated in Tehran on July 31, a day after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Following the assassination, the IRGC stated that Haniyeh was martyred by a “short-range projectile” launched from outside his residence in Tehran.
“There is a strong determination to respond to various forms of aggression committed by the Zionist regime, and, currently, the people living in the occupied territories are paying the price for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s assassination of Haniyeh,” Naeini stated.
He said the Zionist regime and US politicians have now accepted defeat on the battlefield.
“The Iranian people are intelligent and know that the commanders of the Armed Forces and the IRGC carefully assess all aspects at the highest levels of decision-making before taking action. They make precise and calculated decisions, effectively influencing the enemy’s calculations,” the IRGC spokesman said.
Naeini also said time is on Iran’s side and that the “wait for this response may be prolonged.”
“For now, the Zionists must remain in a state of imbalance,” he added.