US media: Iranian leader orders direct attack on Israel

On August 1st, according to the New York Times, three Iranian officials revealed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued an order at an emergency meeting for Iran to directly strike Israel in retaliation for the death of Hamas leader Haniyeh in an attack in Tehran. Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of Haniyeh, who was attending the inauguration of Iran's new president in Tehran at the time. It is unclear how forcefully Iran will respond or whether it will adjust its attack again to avoid escalation. < b > Iranian military commanders are considering another joint drone and missile strike on military targets near Tel Aviv and Haifa, but will take care to avoid attacking 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.