Tehran, Iran

Iran on Monday (August 5) declared it had the "legal right" to respond to the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, an attack attributed to Israel amidst the ongoing Gaza conflict.

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"No one has the right to doubt Iran's legal right to punish the Zionist regime," said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani during a regular news conference, in obvious reference to Israel.

Right to retaliate

While asserting its right to retaliate, Nasser Kanani emphasised that Iran "does not seek to aggravate tensions in the region," which have been on the rise since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in early October last year and escalated further following the Wednesday attack in Tehran.

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"We believe the consolidation of stability and security in the region will be achieved by punishing the aggressor and creating a deterrent against the adventurous behaviour and extraterritorial terrors of the Zionist regime," he stated.

As per Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Haniyeh was killed by a "short-range projectile" launched from outside his residence in the Iranian capital. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian when he was assassinated.

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Both Iran and Hamas, along with other Tehran-aligned armed groups in the Middle East, have vowed retaliation for Haniyeh's assassination.

What Israel said about the assassination

Israel has yet to comment directly on the killing. The assassination came just hours after Israeli forces announced the killing of Fuad Shukr, the military chief of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in an airstrike on Beirut.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, however, indicated that Israel is at "a very high level" of preparedness for any scenario, "defensive and offensive."

Iran-Israel tensions

Since early October, Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire.

The recent high-profile assassinations have intensified calls for de-escalation from global powers, who fear the potential for a full-scale regional war.

Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has engaged in discussions with multiple Arab countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Oman, and Qatar, since Haniyeh's assassination.

Tehran has consistently reiterated its "inherent right" to take action against its adversary, Israel.

(With inputs from agencies)