The funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has started in Tehran, where mourners lined the streets after the supreme leader led prayers. Iran has vowed revenge on Israel over the killing, risking escalation in the Middle East - though Israel has said it will not comment on the death.
As we said in our last post, reports indicate that Iran has ordered a direct strike on Israel.The New York Times cites three unnamed Iranian security sources as saying that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued the order during an emergency meeting yesterday morning. Iran is thought to be deeply embarrassed by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in what was supposed to be a highly secure state guesthouse in Tehran.
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Damascus - but nearly all of the projectiles were shot down and it was interpreted as a show of force rather than an outright escalatory action. Options for this latest retaliation include another coordinated attack of drones and missiles on military targets in the vicinity of Tel Aviv and Haifa - but this would avoid civilians - the sources told the NYT.
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