“Yesterday, I raised his victorious hand, and today, I must take his body on my shoulders,” said President Pezeshkian.
In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Leader attended a meeting of Islamic Republic’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning to plot the response.
Iran’s embarrassment was compounded by the boasts of its outgoing intelligence minister just six days ago.
Esmail Khatib had crowed his biggest achievement in office was “breaking up Mossad’s infiltration network”.
“We are waiting for our officials to kill someone in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv for Tehran,” one presenter raged on Iranian state TV.
Outside the University of Tehran, a few dozen people gathered to chant “Death to Israel”.
“The Zionists have just dug their own graves with their own hands,” one Revolutionary Guards official told The Telegraph.
“We have been at war with Israel for the past four decades, and they have just made it official.”
Calls for all-out war
And a member of the Basij paramilitary group, calling for all-out war told The Telegraph: “We should use the opportunity they gave us to show them who is the real power in the region.”
There was anxiety as well as anger within Iran. “I was hoping that with the new president, we would have some peace, but now I am worried that we may have to leave Tehran again,” said Afshin, a shopkeeper in the capital.
He and his family fled Tehran when Iran fired some 300 suicide drones and missiles at Israel in April, almost all of which were shot down by the US, UK, and Israel.
“Why should this guy be here? Everyone knows Israel is looking for him, and we host him in the heart of Tehran,” added Afshin.
Iran has declared three days of mourning for Haniyeh, whose funeral will be held in Tehran on Thursday.
The fear now is that the Hamas leader’s funeral could be the first of many, if his assassination triggers a wider war in the Middle East.