A source close to Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement told AFP that Iranian officials met in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss next steps with representatives of the “Axis of Resistance”, Tehran-aligned groups in the Middle East that include Hezbollah and Hamas.
“Two scenarios were discussed: a simultaneous response from Iran and its allies or a staggered response from each party,” said the source who had been briefed on the meeting, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
During the Gaza war, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire, and did so again on Thursday.
The Hamas leader’s assassination came just hours after Israel struck a southern suburb of Beirut, killing Fuad Shukr, the military commander of Hezbollah, which supports Hamas.
Haniyeh’s deputy, Saleh al-Aruri, had already been killed in south Beirut early this year in a strike which a US defence official said Israel carried out.
In another high-profile killing, Israel’s army on Thursday confirmed that an air strike in July killed the Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in Gaza.
Israel “delivered crushing blows to all our enemies”, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In Tehran on Thursday, thousands of mourners paid their respects during a public funeral ceremony for Haniyeh. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the prayers, having earlier threatened “harsh punishment” for his killing.
Haniyeh’s coffin was then transferred to Doha.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref left Tehran to attend the ceremonies in Doha, the Iranian government announced on Thursday.
Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for its October 7 attack on Israel that ignited the war in Gaza.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.