How Will Tehran Respond Now?

Following the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of Hezbollah`s senior leaders in Beirut, and Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas in Tehran, the world waits to see how the Ayatollah’s regime in Tehran will respond.

For three days the Middle East waited to see how Israel would respond to the killing of 12 children who were playing football in the Druze village of Magdal Shams on Saturday evening. The Israelis came under intense international pressure to avoid escalating the conflict with Hezbollah.

So, they seem to have chosen their response very carefully. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said,

"Fouad Shukur was the commander responsible for the Majdal Shams massacre …
He was a senior terrorist who has the blood of the Israelis and many others on his hands.”

But the killing of Ismail Haniyeh could be more significant, as it happened in the capital city of Iran. A few hours later, Iran`s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared:

“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.”

And the Iranian Foreign Ministry released a statement reading,

‘Haniyeh`s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen the deep and
unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance.’

Will the international community now put the Iranians under intense pressure not to escalate the conflict?