Israel and US Prepare for Iranian Retaliation Following Assassination of Hamas Leader
Iran has pointed the finger at both Israel and the United States for a blast in Tehran on July 31 that resulted in the death of Ismail Haniyeh and has pledged to retaliate.
Israel and the United States are on high alert this week as Iranian officials continue to promise retribution for the explosion that killed Ismail Haniyeh, the political chairman of Hamas—a U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the blast in Tehran, Iranian and Hamas officials were quick to attribute it to the United States and Israeli governments.
Shortly after the incident, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei vowed that Iran is obligated to avenge Haniyeh’s death.
The newly sworn-in Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also warned Israel that it will soon experience the consequences of its cowardly terrorist act.
General Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, continued the rhetoric of retaliation on Aug. 5, stating that the Israelis will realize their mistake and face a strong response.
At the same time, Israel is dealing with ongoing conflicts in its northern and southern regions.
Israeli forces have been trading fire with Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border since October 2024 after Hamas carried out widespread killings and kidnappings across southern Israel that killed more than 1200 Israelis.
A DoD spokesperson said the department is continuing to assess the damage at the airbase. It remains unclear who was behind the attack.
The IDF has continued to target Hamas and Hezbollah commanders while bracing for a potential broader Iranian retaliation.
And IDF aircraft launched two separate strikes targeting “armed terrorist squads” in Jenin, in the West Bank on Aug. 6.
![Gazans look at debris following an Israeli military strike near the city of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on July 13, 2024. (Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images)](https://www.theepochtimes.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2F23%2Fid5691936-Gaza-1200x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
The Epoch Times reached out to CENTCOM for comment about the claims.
A CENTCOM official said it was aware of the reports and was looking into the claims, but provided no further details by publication time.
The Houthis also claimed a missile attack targeting the MV Groton, a Liberian-flagged container ship, as it transited the Gulf of Aden.
UKMTO said the Groton was proceeding to its next port of call.
The Houthis—another U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group with ties to Iran—have launched several drone and missile attacks at Israel since October 2023 and have continued to harass international shipping through the Red Sea.
CENTCOM reported it destroyed another drone within a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.
US Bolsters Middle East Air Defenses
Both U.S. and Israeli leaders have continued to ready their forces to respond to a heightened level of attacks across the Middle East.
Singh said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to deploy to the CENTCOM area of operations, which covers Israel and the broader Middle East.
She said Austin also ordered another fighter squadron to the Middle East to bolster regional air defense capabilities and was readying to deploy additional land-based ballistic missile defense systems.
![U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) and Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 18, 2023. (Alberto Pizzaoli/AFP via Getty Images)](https://www.theepochtimes.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F12%2F19%2Fid5549356-Austin-israel-defense-GettyImages-1857835802-1200x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Austin spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on Aug. 4, and reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s defenses as it faces threats from Iran, as well as Hamas, and other designated terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
During their meeting, Pezeshkian continued to refer to the blast that killed Haniyeh as a “major mistake by the Zionist regime [Israel] that will not go unanswered.”