Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has commanded Iranian forces to launch a “direct” attack against Israel, according to a report Wednesday.

Three Iranian officials confirmed the situation to The New York Times. The news comes hours after Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday.

The White House has been unable to independently verify Haniyeh’s death as of Wednesday afternoon, but Tehran is placing the blame on the Israel Defense Forces. Israel launched a strike on Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday, but has neither claimed responsibility nor denied killing Haniyeh.

“The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for a severe punishment,” Khamenei’s English-language X account said on Wednesday.

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“Martyr Haniyeh was willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years. He was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path.”

“It’s not surprising that the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader is vowing to avenge Haniyeh’s assassination,” foreign analyst Lisa Daftari told Fox News Digital. “Haniyeh was a guest of the regime’s, visiting for the inauguration of their new president when the attack took place. In the eyes of the regime, this wasn’t just an attack on Hamas or Haniyeh, it was an attack on the Islamic Republic as well.”

Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar issued an ominous statement later on Wednesday, promising that there is nowhere “too far” for Israel to strike if needed.

“The Israeli Air Force defends and operates in all arenas of the war, enveloping the state of Israel with dozens of aircraft, manned and unmanned, ready and prepared within minutes for any scenario, in any arena,” the statement read. “We will act against anyone planning to harm the citizens of the state of Israel, there is nowhere that is too far for us to strike.”

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Iranians wave Palestinian flags and hold portraits of slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during a protest denouncing his killing at Palestine square in the capital Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. (AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country is in a fight “against Iran’s axis of evil.”

“This is an existential war against a stranglehold of terrorist armies and missiles that Iran would like to tighten around our neck,” Netanyahu said, later adding that Israel has heard “threats from all sides,” after Israel’s recent strike against Beirut.

“We are prepared for any scenario, and we will stand united and determined against any threat,” the leader said. “Israel will exact a very heavy price for aggression against us from whatever quarter.”

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attends the joint graduation ceremony of armed forces cadets at Imam Hussein Military University in Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Fox News’ Trey Yingst contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

PodcastPodcast, The Take

After the political chief of Hamas is assassinated in Iran, what will it mean for the region and the world?

The assassination of the chief political leader of Hamas in Tehran follows an escalation of violence across the Middle East, including incidents in Israel, Lebanon and Iraq. Who was Ismail Haniyeh and what will his killing mean for the region?

In this episode: 

• Imran Khan (@ajimran), Al Jazeera English senior correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan, Amy Walters, and Duha Mosaad, with Manahil Naveed, Veronique Eshaya, and our host Kevin Hirten, in for Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Jonathan Majors told TMZ that he’s “heartbroken” over the news that Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom will be the new villain of the next two “Avengers” movies, effectively replacing Majors’ Kang the Conquerer.

Majors was dropped by Marvel in December on the same day he was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault. His villain, Kang, was set up as the new Thanos of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was set to feature prominently in “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which has now been scrapped and replaced by the Downey-starring “Avengers: Doomsday.”

“Yeah, heartbroken. Of course,” Majors answered when TMZ asked him if he was hurt by the new direction Marvel was taking. “I love Kang. Doctor Doom is wicked, though.”

TMZ then noted that Downey was being given a chance to lead more Marvel movies despite his own history of legal troubles. Downey was arrested in 1996 for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded gun and given three years of probation. He faced numerous other legal issues in the years that followed, which made some Marvel executives apprehensive to cast him as Tony Stark in 2008’s “Iron Man.”

“I think it’s fair that Mr. Downey is being and has been greeted with patience and curiosity and love … and [he’s] being allowed to work [his] art and be creative at that level,” Majors said about how Downey was afforded a comeback despite legal troubles. “I didn’t really get that.”

Would Majors want to return to the MCU as Kang? “Hell yeah! Hell yeah! I love him. I love Kang,” he said. “If that’s what the fans want, and that’s what Marvel wants then let’s roll. Hell yeah.”

Majors was arrested on March 25, 2023 for assault and harassment charges after his then girlfriend Grace Jabbari accused him of assaulting her in the backseat of a private car after she took his phone to read a text message he’d received from another woman. Jabbari alleged that Majors forcefully retrieved his phone from her, causing an “excruciating” injury to her right middle finger, and when she exited the car, Majors hit her on the back of her head and then tried to force her back into the car, causing a cut behind her right ear.

In Majors’ trial verdict, Majors was also found not guilty of one count of intentional assault in the third degree and one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree. After his arrest, Majors was dropped by his talent manager, Entertainment 360, and his publicity firm, the Lede Company.

Downey’s return to the MCU was announced at Comic-Con earlier this month. He will star as Doctor Doom in 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday” and 2017’s “Avengers: Secret Wars.”