Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei orders 'direct' attack on Israel: report

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has commanded Iranian forces to launch a "direct" attack against Israel, according to a report Wednesday.

Three Iranian officials confirmed the situation to The New York Times. The news comes hours after Hamas' leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday.

The White House has been unable to independently verify Haniyeh's death as of Wednesday afternoon, but Tehran is placing the blame on the Israel Defense Forces. Israel launched a strike on Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, but has neither claimed responsibility nor denied killing Haniyeh.

"The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for a severe punishment," Khamenei's English-language X account said on Wednesday.

"Martyr Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years. He was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path."