The U.S. has reportedly warned Iran a retaliatory attack on Israel for the recent killing of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran would pose a “serious risk” for Iran’s economy and government and likely escalate the months-long conflict between Israel and Hamas.
A U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal the U.S. has communicated to Iran that the risk of a major escalation is “extremely high” if it carries out a retaliatory attack.
The official said Tehran has been put on notice “that there is a serious risk of consequences for Iran’s economy and the stability of its newly elected government if it goes down that path.”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran late last month. Israel was immediately blamed for the assassination after pledging to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state, which killed 1,200 people and saw hundreds more taken hostage.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 5, 2024. (Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Haniyeh had been in Tehran for the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly-elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran has signaled its intention to strike back at Israel, though the exact scope and timing of a potential attack are not clear. That’s in contrast to Iran’s highly anticipated missile and drone attack on Israel in April in retaliation for Israel killing a senior Iranian paramilitary commander in Syria.
Smoke billows after the Israeli army launched an airstrike on the Al Mughraqa area in the Gaza Strip April 14, 2024. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Another variable at play is the Iranian proxy terrorist group Hezbollah, which has in recent months been escalating attacks on Israel near its border with Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Israel said it carried out an airstrike in southern Lebanon, killing four Hezbollah fighters.
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U.S. officials have insisted that warnings to Iran concern the risks of provoking a military response from Israe and deepening the conflict, and not potential U.S. military action, per the Journal.
A worker walks by debris as a backhoe removes rubble from a building damaged by an Israeli airstrike in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP/Hussein Malla)
These developments come as Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. leaders have urged Israel to resume talks with Hamas Aug. 15.
“It is time to conclude a cease-fire agreement and release hostages and prisoners,” a joint statement from the three countries Thursday sid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will send a negotiating team Aug. 15 to finalize the details of the Gaza cease-fire framework.
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The mediators said the talks would take place either in Qatar’s capital of Doha or Egypt’s capital of Cairo. Last week’s killing of Haniyeh was widely seen as a blow to cease-fire talks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.