TEHRAN – Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations, Ali Bahreini, has indicated that Hezbollah's retaliation for the recent Israeli assassination of one of its senior commanders will be significantly more extensive and intense.

The statement came in response to inquiries regarding the nature of Hezbollah’s response to the targeted killing of Fuad Shukr, a prominent Hezbollah commander. Shukr was killed along with several others during an Israeli airstrike on a building in the Dahieh suburb of southern Beirut on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Iran's UN mission stated on Friday night, “Hezbollah and the Israeli regime have historically adhered to an unwritten agreement that limited their military engagements to border areas and primarily military targets. However, the recent Israeli attack on a residential building in Dahieh represents a significant deviation from these boundaries.”

The spokesperson added that Hezbollah’s forthcoming retaliation would likely target a wider range of sites and not be confined to military objectives alone. “We expect Hezbollah’s response to encompass broader and deeper targets,” the spokesperson said, “and these will be located within Israeli-occupied territories.”

Fuad Shukr played a crucial role in establishing and strengthening the Resistance Front against Israeli occupation. His death, along with that of two children and two women in the same attack, has intensified calls for a substantial response.

At Shukr’s funeral on Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah delivered a powerful speech, declaring that Israel had “crossed a red line” and must prepare for a severe backlash. Nasrallah expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and vowed that Hezbollah would deliver an “inevitable retaliation” against Israel, promising “rage and revenge on all the fronts supporting Gaza.”

This escalation comes amidst an ongoing and devastating conflict. Since October 7, 2023, at least 39,480 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed and 91,128 wounded in Israel’s military campaign against the Gaza Strip.

The assassination of Shukr follows the earlier targeted killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Political Bureau Chief of Hamas, in Tehran. This sequence of events has significantly raised tensions in the region.

In response, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of Islamic Revolution, warned of a “harsh response” from Iran, emphasizing the nation’s obligation to avenge the blood of the resistance leader.