TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has issued a warning to Israel, promising a severe response from the Axis of Resistance in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the IRGC said, "The heinous crime committed by the Zionist regime in killing Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas's political bureau, will undoubtedly be met with a harsh and painful response from the powerful Resistance Front."

The statement added that this atrocity demonstrates that the Zionist regime will stop at nothing, including criminal acts that defy international law, to hide their failure after nine months of war on Gaza, which has led to the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian women and children.

The IRGC noted that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were assassinated at their residence in Tehran by the cowardly and criminal Zionist regime. Haniyeh was among 110 foreign delegates invited by the Iranian Parliament to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Haniyeh had made several visits to Iran in recent years, especially after Hamas and other Gaza-based Palestinian Resistance groups launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against Israel on October 7 last year.

The IRGC also announced that an investigation into the attack is ongoing and results will be shared later. They expressed condolences to the Palestinian people, the Muslim Ummah, Resistance fighters, and the Iranian nation over the loss of the senior Palestinian leader.