Amid Iran's threats to attack Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Israeli officials believe that the Iranian response will come soon, but not before the weekend.
According to security assessments, Iran and Hezbollah are anticipated to launch their attack on Israel in the coming days, but they are likely to wait until after the weekend due to the ongoing funerals in Qatar and Beirut for Hezbollah's Chief of Staff and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has directed the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian-affiliated organizations to directly attack Israel in response to Haniyeh's assassination in the heart of Tehran.
This morning, Khamenei held a special meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, instructing generals and senior military officials to directly strike Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh in Iran.
According to reports in The New York Times, Iranian sources told the newspaper that Khamenei considers it paramount to "repay Israel in kind." Additional reports suggest that Iranian considerations indicate a response similar to the one that occurred in April, involving a central element of launching missiles and drones towards Israel from Iranian territory itself, as well as from Iran-aligned organizations throughout the Middle East.
