Iran’s leader orders attack on Israel for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killing

PM Anthony Albanese has warned Australians to leave Lebanon now or risk being stuck as tensions escalated in the Middle East after Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge on Israel.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has blamed the US for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, claiming that it could not have happened without America’s intelligence support.

Saeed Iravani, permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN, also blasted Israel for also “pursuing (a) political goal with this act”.

“The responsibility of the United States as their strategic ally, and main supporters of the Israeli regime in the region cannot be overlooked in this horrific crime,” Mr Iravani said in a speech at the United Nations Security Council.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has delivered a stark warning. Picture: AFP

It came as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

According to three Iranian officials, Mr Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Earlier, Khamenei said it was Iran’s “duty” to avenge Haniyeh’s death since he was killed inside Iran.

“You killed our dear guest in our house and now have paved the way for your harsh punishment,” he said in a statement, referring to Israel.

The United Arab Emirates said it was closely monitoring the rapidly developing situation in the region.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran along with one of his bodyguards. Picture: AFP

Members of the UN Security Council hold an emergency meeting. Picture: Getty Images via AFP

The body of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was recovered from the rubble of an Israeli strike in south Beirut. Picture: AFP

In a statement posted by the Emirati state news agency WAM, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep concern.

“The United Arab Emirates emphasises the importance of exercising the utmost restraint and wisdom to avoid risks and the expansion of the conflict,” the statement said.

Iran’s rare “red flag of revenge” comes as the Middle East tethered on the edge of an all-out war after the assassination of the Hamas leader and the recovery of a Hezbollah commander’s body in Lebanon.

As the Jamkaran Mosque raised a symbolic flag bearing the inscription “O ye avengers of Hussein”, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel “prepared the ground for a severe punishment”.

The flag, in the city of Qom, is thought to have only been raised six times in history, including after the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Leader Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

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▪️ The red flag of revenge was raised after the assassination of Qassem Suleimani in 2020. This resulted in a coordinated strike on the… pic.twitter.com/5PqOZZNKQt

— Rybar Force (@rybar_force) July 31, 2024

It comes as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a televised statement to the country amid fears of retaliatory strikes.

The body of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, meanwhile, was found in the rubble of Beirut after the IDF blamed him for the Golan Heights attack that killed 12 children and teenagers.

“He was a key factor in the connection between Iran and Hezbollah,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“Those who put our country in harm’s way will have to pay.”

While Mr Netanyahu did not mention the Hamas leader in his five-minute address, he said Israel “delivered crushing blows to all our enemies”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says anyone who harms his citizens is “marked for a price”. Picture: AFP

“Anyone who kills our children, anyone who assassinates our citizens, anyone who harms our country -- their head is marked for a price.”

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, 62, was killed in a missile strike on his home in Tehran.

Iran’s leader, Khamenei, said the “Zionist regime” martyred its “dear guest”, who was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

“Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge,” he added.

The United Nations said the attacks in Beirut and Tehran marked a “dangerous escalation”, with spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying it was clear “restraint alone is insufficient at this extremely sensitive time”.

ANTHONY ALBANESE TELLS AUSSIES TO LEAVE LEBANON

Anthony Albanese said there are “thousands” of Australian citizens still in Lebanon nd they should come home to Australia.

“We have a very clear statement that has been issued through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and for those Australians that are overseas, they should take the opportunity to come home to Australia,” the Prime Minister said.

“There is a risk that the Beirut airport might not be open for commercial flights and given the numbers of people that are there, there is no guarantee that people will be able to come home through other means if that airport is shut.

“We say to people, listen to the warnings which are there and please, over recent months we have seen people continue to go and travel to the region and we have made very clear our warnings about that.”

TOP HAMAS LEADER KILLED IN STRIKE

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated alongside one of his bodyguards in a missile strike on his home in Tehran.

It was the second high-profile assassination attributed to Israel, after a statement by Hamas said an “Israeli” raid killed Haniyeh, describing it as a “treacherous Zionist strike on his residence in Tehran”.

Israel is yet to comment but it had vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders of Hamas after the Gaza-based terror group’s devastating October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage.

Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, has been the face of the Palestinian terror group’s international diplomacy while war has continued in the Gaza Strip, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli air strike.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the attack was carried out early on Wednesday (AEST).

“With condolences to the heroic nation of Palestine and the Islamic nation and the combatants of the Resistance Front and the noble nation of Iran, this morning [Wednesday] the residence of Mr. Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political office of the Islamic Resistance of Hamas, was hit in Tehran, and following this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred,” the IRGC statement read.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran along with one of his bodyguards. Picture: AFP

Haniyeh’s killing came after Israel on Tuesday struck a Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut, killing a senior commander of the Iran-backed group it said was responsible for a weekend rocket attack on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk vowed: “The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh is a cowardly act and will not go unanswered.”

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas condemned Haniyeh’s killing as a “cowardly act” and urged Palestinians to remain united against Israel.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, pictured here in 2015. Picture: AFP

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the “death of arch terrorist Haniyeh is a blow to the forces of evil”, describing it as being on par with the deaths of Al-Baghdadi and bin Laden.

“This is a man who planned and authorised hundreds of suicide bombings targeting buses and cafes, and helped turn Gaza into an enormous terrorist camp that heaped misery on Gazans and has terrorised Israelis for years,” he said.

“Like every despot, he has bathed in obscene wealth, luxuriated in fine villas and private jets while bemoaning the predicament of his people. The world is a better place now that Haniyeh is finished.”

Ismail Haniyeh with former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, who died earlier this year. Picture: AFP

Earlier on Tuesday, Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president and met Iran’s Supreme Leader, according to Iran media.

The US has not commented on his death either.

His assassination comes as the Biden administration has tried to get Hamas and Israel to negotiate and agree to a temporary ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

AIRLINE MOVES FLIGHTS AFTER STRIKE

Qatar Airways has responded to Israel’s strike by rescheduling all flights between Doha to Beirut, Lebanon. All flights until August 5 will now operate exclusively during daylight hours.

For the most current information on flight schedules, travel advisories, and safety protocols, visit www.qatarairways.com.

“We recommend checking frequently as updates are subject to change,” an airline spokesman said.

AUSSIES TOLD TO LEAVE LEBANON NOW

Australians in Lebanon are being warned to “leave immediately” after an Israeli air strike in southern Beirut which killed at least three people, including two children, and injured dozens.

Smartraveller, run by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, urged people to leave while commercial flights are still available.

“The security situation could deteriorate rapidly throughout Lebanon with little or no notice. Some airlines have postponed or cancelled some flights. Further flight cancellations and disruptions could occur with little or no notice,” Smartraveller warns.

It adds: “Beirut airport could close, and you may be unable to leave for an extended period. Airlines may cancel more flights or set high ticket prices for any remaining flights. There may also be other travel disruptions.”

Smartraveller concludes: “The Australian Government may not be able to assist you to leave in such circumstances.”

Medical staff carrying on an injured man on a stretcher at the Brahman hospital following the Israeli military strike on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

The destroyed top floors of an eight-storey building following an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

Rescuers search through the top floors of a building destroyed following an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

Ambulances are seen following an Israeli military strike on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

DEATH TOLL COULD CLIMB

Lebanon’s healthy ministry said multiple people were killed and injured in Beirut’s bombing.

The “non-final toll of the Israeli aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut … is three martyrs, including a woman, a girl and a boy,” it said, adding that 74 people had been wounded, “while the search for missing persons under the rubble continues.”

A source close to Hezbollah said senior commander Fuad Shukr was the target but that he “survived the Israeli strike”. However the Israel Defense Forces said that Shukr was killed in the hit.

“The IDF (army) carried out a targeted strike in Beirut on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians,” the military said in a statement, referring to the Druze Arab town in the annexed Golan Heights where the children were killed on Saturday.

The target of the attack in Beirut was Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Picture: X

Two men use the light of their mobile phones as they survey the debris after the top floors of a building destroyed in the Israeli strike. Picture: AFP

Shukr is “in charge of commanding the military operations in southern Lebanon”, the source added, saying he had succeeded top Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh killed in a 2008 Damascus car bombing the group blamed on Israel.

He has a $US5 million ($A7.7 million) price on his head from the US Treasury, which describes him as a “senior adviser” to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah who played “a central role” in the deadly 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.

Medical staff receiving an injured person at the Brahman hospital following an Israeli military strike on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

‘HEZBOLLAH CROSSED THE LINE’: ISRAEL

An AFP photographer at the scene saw an eight-storey building that had partially collapsed in the strike, while ambulances struggled through crowds and rescue workers combed through the rubble of the building for survivors.

Minutes after the explosions rocked Beirut, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant posted on social media site X that “Hezbollah crossed the red line”.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned what he called “blatant Israeli aggression”.

Hezbollah backer Iran denounced a “vicious” strike, while Russia’s foreign ministry said the Israeli attack was a “gross violation of international law”.

A woman injured in an Israeli military strike on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs is escorted as she leaves the Brahman hospital. Picture: AFP

Men walk past debris and a destroyed car after the top floors of an eight-storey building. Picture: AFP

The top floors of a building which were destroyed in an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

Men walk past debris after the top floors of an eight-storey building were destroyed following an Israeli military strike in Beirut's southern suburbs. Picture: AFP

WORLD REACTS

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was up to Israel “to speak for their own military operations”, adding: “We do not believe that an all out war is inevitable.”

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine said she is “deeply concerned” by the air strike which “resulted in multiple civilian casualties.”

In a statement released by her office, Hennis-Plasschaert said it “underscores once again that there is no such thing as a military solution and calls on both Israel and Lebanon to avail of all diplomatic avenues to pursue a return to the cessation of hostilities and to recommit to the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006).”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had on Monday threatened a “severe response” to the attack which Israel and the United States have blamed on Hezbollah, though the group denies responsibility.