Iran says Israel will ‘pay heavy price’ after death of Ismail Haniyeh

Iranian officials are condemning what they say was an Israeli strike on Tehran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Palestinian militant organization Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued separate statements confirming the death of the longtime political leader of Hamas early Wednesday and blamed Israel, which has not yet commented on Haniyeh’s death. CNBC has reached out to Israel’s foreign ministry for comment.

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani and former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rezaei, in separate comments said that Israel will “pay a heavy price,” according to Iranian state media.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in a statement said that “the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime has prepared the ground for severe punishment with this action.” He added that carrying out punishment is “our duty” as Haniyeh was killed in Iran. Tehran and other countries that do not recognize the state of Israel frequently refer to it as “the Zionist regime.”

Haniyeh served as the chief of Hamas’ politburo and was seen as a more relatively moderate figure within the organization as he led cease-fire negotiations and was the face of the group’s regional diplomatic efforts. He was made the head of Hamas’ political wing in 2017 before moving to Qatar in exile in 2019.

The U.S. State Department in 2018 designated Haniyeh a terrorist, describing him as “a proponent of armed struggle, including against civilians,” and declared that Hamas operations had been responsible for “an estimated 17 American lives killed in terrorist attacks.”

Haniyeh’s death comes against the backdrop of spiking tensions in the Middle East, as Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza rages on. It also comes just a day after an Israeli strike on a densely-populated area of Beirut which Israel’s military said killed a top commander of the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and allied with Hamas, issued a statement in response to Haniyeh’s death. “The martyrdom of the leader Haniyeh will increase the determination and stubbornness of the resistance fighters in all resistance arenas to continue the path of jihad, and will make their resolve stronger in confronting the Zionist enemy,” the group said.