Iran says it will not take ‘hasty action’ against Israel for killing of Hamas political leader
CNN
Iran’s pledged retaliation against Israel for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh will take time, a spokesperson for the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday.
Iran’s pledged retaliation against Israel for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran will take time, according to a spokesperson for the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Time is on our side and the waiting period for this response may be prolonged,” Ali Mohammad Naeini was quoted as saying on Tuesday by state media. The Middle East has been on high alert since last month’s assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, which came the day after Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr was killed in an airstrike in Beirut. Israel took responsibility for the killing of Shukr, but has not confirmed or denied its role in Haniyeh’s death. Iran and its regional allies – Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza – blamed Israel for both killings and promised to retaliate, spurring weeks of high-wire diplomacy to prevent the breakout of a full-scale regional war. But the comments from the IRGC spokesman, three weeks on from the twin killings, may indicate a cooling of Iran’s earlier, more bellicose rhetoric.
