Slain Hamas chief laid to rest as Israel, US brace for Iranian retaliation

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in Qatar on Friday after being killed in Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel, which has heightened regional tensions as the US and Israel prepare for a retaliatory attack from Iran.

Haniyeh was laid to rest in Lusail, north of the capital Doha, following funeral prayers at the Gulf emirate's largest mosque attended by thousands of people.

Haniyeh, the Palestinian militant group's political chief, played a key role in negotiations for an end to nearly 10 months of war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed in a pre-dawn "hit" on their accommodation in Tehran Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.

After the assassination of Haniyeh, Israel and the U.S. are preparing for an "unpredictable Iranian retaliatory strike on Israel as soon as this weekend," the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

"There is no point. Israel crossed all the red lines. Our response will be swift and heavy," the Wall Street Journal quoted an Iranian diplomat.

The diplomat, who was briefed by his government, said attempts by various countries to convince Tehran not to escalate had been and would be "fruitless" given Israel's recent attacks, according to the newspaper.

It came after the Pentagon announced that the U.S. would deploy additional military assets to the Middle East amid rising tensions.

"The Department of Defense continues to take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or Iran's partners and proxies.

"Secretary (Lloyd) Austin has ordered adjustments to U.S. military posture designed to improve U.S. force protection, to...