The supreme leader of Iran vows revenge, marking a pivotal stance and signaling possible future actions in the geopolitical landscape.

According to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Israel will face severe consequences for the assassination of Hamas’ political leader.

On Wednesday, a missile strike in Tehran resulted in the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed to seek revenge for his passing.

Israel has not formally commented, while countries in the area have accused it of being responsible for the assault.

After the assassination, a certain X account translated and disseminated Khamenei’s statements wherein the Iranian leader expressed that “it is incumbent upon us to exact revenge” following this sorrowful and calamitous occurrence within our Islamic Republic borders.

Khamenei made a distinct declaration, vowing to inflict severe consequences on Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh. He asserted that “the abominable and extremist Zionist government murdered our honored visitor in our own home, causing us immense sorrow while also setting itself up for a stringent retaliation.”

The Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, denounced the attack on Haniyeh’s residence in Tehran and pledged to safeguard the Islamic Republic’s land borders while restoring its prestige and pride. He also warned that “the terrorist invaders would regret their gutless deed.”

Iran and its allies have threatened Israel with a severe and agonizing reprisal, as declared by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The IRGC released a statement stating that the killing of Haniyeh is evidence of “the Zionist group’s immoral and criminal actions, which disregard international laws and regulations. This gang will not hesitate to commit any heinous act to conceal their disgraceful failures during nine months of conflict in Gaza.”

Israel had issued repeated threats to eradicate top Hamas officials following the group’s assault on Israel in October of last year that resulted in 1,200 fatalities and left approximately 250 individuals as hostages. However, this was before Wednesday’s incident occurred.

As the face of Palestine’s militant group, Haniyeh played a critical role in diplomacy by acting as an intermediary during ceasefire talks amid the Israel-Hamas conflict while being stationed in Qatar.