Israel-Hamas War|Death of Ismail Haniya

Sources: Iran's Supreme Leader Orders Direct Attack

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered a direct attack on Israel after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was killed in Tehran. This is stated by three Iranian official sources, two of them within the Revolutionary Guard, for the New York Times.

The order is said to have been given during a crisis meeting of Iran's National Security Council on Wednesday morning. According to the sources, Iran's military is considering a large-scale drone and robot attack, similar to the one on April 13, against military targets in northwestern Israel.

Another option being considered is to coordinate an attack from other countries where Iran has allied forces, such as Iraq, Yemen and Syria, according to the reports.

Earlier on Wednesday, Khamenei said Iran has an "obligation" to avenge Haniya's death.

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The UN Security Council holds a crisis meeting on Haniya's death

The UN Security Council is holding a crisis meeting after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was killed in a suspected Israeli attack, The Guardian reports.

The meeting began at 10 p.m., Swedish time. It was requested by Iran, supported by representatives of Russia, China and Algeria.

During the meeting, several members have expressed concern about escalation and urged the parties to exercise restraint, according to the BBC.

- We believe that there is still time and place for a diplomatic solution, says US UN Ambassador Robert Wood.

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Hamas stop after the murder of Haniya: Our line is firm - crimes must be avenged

The terrorist group Hamas does not want a regional war, but "a crime must be avenged". This is what Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya says after the murder of Ismail Haniya, to whom he is singled out as a possible successor. This is reported by international media.

- Hamas follows a strategy and does not back down due to the death of a leader, he said at a press conference on Wednesday in Al Jazeera's Arabic broadcasts, adding that "all options other than resistance are exhausted" in relation to Israel.

Ismail Haniya was killed in an attack in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday night. Israel is believed to be behind the attack, but has not claimed responsibility.

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Israel-Hamas war|The reactions
Analysis: The targeted killings have become ends in themselves

Israel's strategic goals are not benefited by the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Shukr in Beirut and Hamas leader Haniya in Tehran. That's what Haaretz's Yossi Melman writes in an analysis, with the proviso that Israel has not confirmed that it is behind the attack on Haniya.

In the past, he writes, Israel used targeted assassinations of its enemies to achieve military or diplomatic goals.

"But since the beginning of the war, which has been going on for ten months, it seems that the targeted killings have become an end in themselves."

They are mostly aimed at revenge and do not change the conditions, but only make Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran more determined, writes Melman.

The murders defeat their purpose and leave Israel in a "slightly worse" situation, writes Keren Setton in Media Line:

“Israel has killed scores of Palestinian and Hezbollah leaders over the years. It hasn't helped.”

Even Iran loses from the attack in the capital, writes Nick Paton Walsh in CNN.

"The country's role as a regional power is weakened if it cannot guarantee the security of visiting allies."

The rhetoric from Tehran is of course furious, he writes, but that does not necessarily mean that Iran will retaliate. The robot attack against Israel in April showed that the country's own military capabilities are limited. Busting the Lebanese Hezbollah militia on Israel in a full-scale war requires thought and timing – and a failure risks being huge.

"Hezbollah is a strong card that Tehran can probably only play once."