BREAKING: Iran Orders Strike On Israel Following Assassination Of Top Hamas Leader - 'Our Duty To Take Revenge'

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered the Iranian military to strike Israel directly after the Israeli Defense Forces were successful in assassinating multiple leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah, including Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The decision to strike Iran was made on Wednesday morning during an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council after Haniyeh was found dead in his Tehran hotel. Israel has not confirmed nor denied their involvement in his death, according to the New York Times.

Iran and its proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the Houthis in Yemen, have routinely attacked Israel amid its ongoing operation to eliminate Hamas in Gaza. In April, Iran launched hundreds of drones against Israel after another assassination by the IDF eliminated several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders.

While the Iranian attack was a historic first for the authoritarian regime in Tehran, the drones were successfully shot down by an international coalition that included the Israeli, American, British, French, Jordanian, and Saudi militaries. Many defense analysts saw the attack as a way to de-escalate from the brink of war while still allowing the Iranian leaders to say that they retaliated against Israel.

The extent of another attack by Iran is not known as of this report, but Iranian military officials are reportedly looking into using both rockets and drones to attack military targets in Haifa and Tel Aviv. In response to the assassination, Khamenei swore revenge on Israel.

"The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for a severe punishment. Martyr Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years. He was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path," Iran's leader posted to X. "Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge."

You can follow Sterling on X/Twitter here.