Hyderabad: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "harsh punishment" for Israel after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
"With this action, the criminal and terrorist Zionist regime prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself, and we consider it our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said in a statement carried by official news agency IRNA.
Khamenei addressed the slain Hamas chief as the "brave leader" and "prominent Palestinian mujahid", adding that the deceased of having "joined his Creator," the English version of teh statement which was uploaded in his website read.
He said the "great Resistance Front is mourning his loss". He called the Israel as "the criminal, terrorist Zionist regime" and accused it of assassinating their "guest" in their territory and of causing grief. The supreme leader said Israel has also laid the spadework for a "severe punishment".
Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his life in this battle for many years, Khamenei said, adding that the departed had "sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path". The Iran's top boss said Haniyeh was "not afraid of being martyred". "The tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic" has prompted them to exact revenge.
He offered his condolences to the extended Islamic nation; the Resistance Front; the people of Palestine; and the family and loved ones of Haniyeh. He also expressed his condolences to one of Haniyeh's companions who was killed in the airstrike.
Meanwhile, Iran declared three days of mourning following the killing of Haniyeh in the attack blamed on arch-foe Israel. "The Islamic Republic of Iran announced three days of public mourning following the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh," the government said in a statement.
(with AFP inputs)
