Thousands of people gathered for the funeral of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an attack organized in Tehran on Wednesday. This was reported by BBC News here.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the funeral prayer.
US media, quoting Iranian officials, reported that the Supreme Leader had ordered a direct strike on Israel because of the attack on Iranian soil.
Israel did not directly comment on the assassination.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that his country had killed a high-ranking commander of "Hezbollah" in Lebanon several hours before the strike on the target in Tehran, among other enemies in recent days.
He warned Israelis that "difficult days are ahead" as conflicts in the Middle East widen. "After the strike in Beirut, we have heard threats from all directions," he said in a televised address.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned about the growing risk of military actions in the region.
The armed wing of Hamas stated that the death of Haniyeh, seen as the group's highest leader, "will take the fight to a new level" and have serious consequences.
Haniyeh, who played a major role in ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip, was killed in Tehran a few hours after the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the assassination took place in a building previously visited by Haniyeh during his earlier trips to Iran.
According to him, three Hamas leaders and several guards were in the same building with him.
A senior Hamas official, Khalil al-Hayya, relying on witnesses present with him, stated at a press conference that a rocket had hit Haniyeh directly.
The group's leadership is "in shock," said the senior Hamas official.
