Iran has called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for support in its impending retaliation against Israel following the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran. The emergency meeting of the OIC, comprising 57 member states from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and beyond, was convened on Wednesday as tensions escalated across the region.
Iran's Acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri, addressed the gathering, asserting that Iran has no choice but to exercise its right to self-defense. He emphasized that any retaliatory actions would be necessary to prevent further violations of Iranian sovereignty and would be executed in a timely and appropriate manner.
The meeting was prompted by the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed on July 31 while visiting Tehran. Iran has accused Israel of orchestrating the killing.
While the OIC members voiced strong criticism of Israel, they also expressed concerns about the potential for the ongoing violence to spark a broader regional conflict. Meanwhile, Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Shia militant group, has vowed its own retaliation against Israel, continuing to launch rockets into Israeli territory.
In response, the Israeli military announced the killing of a Hezbollah unit commander in an airstrike. Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, visited an Israeli Air Force base, asserting that Israel is at peak readiness for both offensive and defensive operations, capable of launching rapid attacks anywhere in Lebanon, Gaza, or the broader Middle East.
