Iran plans response to Hamas leader's killing in Tehran

Residents of the Iranian capital Tehran said they supported some form of retaliation by their government against Israel after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the city a fortnight ago.

Israel, widely believed to have carried out the assassination, have declined to claim or deny responsibility for the killing.

A Tehran resident said he was fully behind his country seeking revenge, adding he feels Israel would only feel emboldened by inaction.

Another resident advised a more cautious approach that sought to retaliate whilst avoiding a direct confrontation with Israel and its powerful international backers - led by the United States.

Three senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil last month.

Meanwhile Iran is holding a military drill in the north of the country, Mehr news agency reported, with the region bracing for Tehran's avowed retaliation against Israel over the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.

The drill was taking place in Iran's Gilan province on the Caspian Sea. It was designed to boost the defensive readiness of the army's naval forces, Mehr cited a local official as saying.

It is Iran's second reported military drill in three days. Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Haniyeh on July 31 in Tehran.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the result of exaggerating the enemy's power in the cultural field is a feeling of passivity, being attracted to the enemy's culture, and belittling one's own culture.

Iran blames Israel for the killing. Israel has not claimed responsibility. The killing has triggered threats of revenge by Iran against Israel, which is fighting Hamas militants in Gaza, raising fears of a wider Middle East war.