The British newspaper Independent reported today, Sunday, that there are what it described as "significant disagreements" between the newly elected Iranian president, Masoud Bezhakian, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard regarding the best method to respond to Israel's assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
The report stated that "the leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard want to carry out a large and direct military strike against Israeli military bases and cities, while the new Iranian president prefers to target the Israeli Mossad's 'secret bases' in the region, particularly in Iraq."
It explained that "the Iranian president, whom it referred to as moderate, believes that a direct response to Israel would drag Iran into an open war that the Iranian government does not wish to engage in, making the targeting of its secret bases in the region a feasible option for Iran to respond to Israel painfully without being drawn into an open war, but the Revolutionary Guard leaders reject this."
The newspaper noted that "the Iranian Revolutionary Guard sees the assassination that took place in Tehran and targeted Haniyeh as an insult to Iranian sovereignty and demands a substantial and direct response to Israel." It is noteworthy that the Iranian government has vowed to respond to the assassination of Haniyeh directly and effectively, raising concerns among regional leaders that it could lead to an open war between Iran and Israel.
