Iran raised a red flag called the "Flag of Revenge" on the dome of a mosque in the city of Qom, after the assassination of the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, on its territory.
In a circulating video clip, a person was seen raising the flag on the dome of the Jamkaran Mosque in the Iranian city of Qom, the same flag that was raised when Qassem Soleimani was killed.
Raising the flag of revenge is considered in Iranian heritage as a "declaration of a state of war."
The assassination constituted a clear breach of the security situation in Iran, especially in light of the strict measures that accompanied the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Haniyeh was killed in a guided missile attack in the early hours of Wednesday morning, targeting his residence in Tehran, which he was visiting to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president.
The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement: "The home of Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas in Tehran, was targeted," killing him and one of his guards.
The statement added: "The causes and dimensions of this incident are under investigation and the results will be announced at a later time."
Immediately after the announcement of Haniyeh's assassination, Iran issued threats to avenge Haniyeh.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that "Iran's duty is to avenge the bitter and difficult assassination of Hamas's political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh."
Khamenei's threat to avenge Haniyeh was not the first from Tehran, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian saying that Tehran would make "the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly act."
Pezeshkian added, according to Iranian state media, that his country "will defend its dignity and territorial integrity."
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