Iranian leader orders direct attack on Israel
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued an order at an emergency meeting for Iran to strike directly at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, according to three Iranian officials reported by The New York Times. Iran and Hamas accuse Israel of assassinating Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president. It is unclear how aggressive Iran's response will be or whether it will adjust its attacks again to avoid escalation. Iranian military commanders are considering another combined drone and missile attack on military targets near Tel Aviv and Haifa, but will be careful to avoid civilian targets, Iranian officials said. One option under consideration is to launch coordinated attacks from Iran and other allied fronts, including Yemen, Syria and Iraq, for maximum effect.