Iran vowed on Monday to take "decisive" action against the "aggressor" behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, accusing Israel of carrying out a "cowardly" attack.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the killing of Haniyeh, who was in Iran for the swearing-in of President Masoud Pezeshkian, was a "flagrant violation" of international law.
Iran will take its serious and deterrent action with "strength and decisiveness" to punish the "aggressor" based on its inherent right and the international law principles, Kanaani said at a weekly press conference.
He added that Tehran would pursue the matter through the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which will hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers on Wednesday.
The same day, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, when meeting with foreign diplomats in Tehran, called Haniyeh's assassination was against international law as well as regional and international security and stability, and violated Iran's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. He vowed that Iran will make a clear and decisive response to the Israeli actions.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Iran will teach Israel and its supporter, the United States, a "historic lesson."
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Hossein Salami has also warned that Israel is "digging its own grave" with its actions in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and will get their response.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday Israel was "prepared very strongly" and ready to respond quickly to a potential Iranian retaliatory attack, adding that Israel will exact a price from the enemy.
According to U.S. and Israeli media reports, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Michael Kurilla had arrived in Israel amid the soaring tensions between Iran and Israel.
According to the Lebanese military, Israel launched airstrikes and artillery attacks on several locations in southern Lebanon Sunday, killing two Hezbollah members, while Hezbollah said Monday it used multiple drones to attack Israeli military targets in the northern. According to the Israeli military, the attack wounded two Israeli soldiers.
France, Italy, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia warned their citizens not to travel to Lebanon and urged those already in the country to leave as soon as possible due to the risk of military escalation in the Middle East.
Iran vows 'decisive' response to Hamas leader's assassination as Israel braces for retaliation
As the Spring Festival holiday approaches, rural fairs and popular markets in China are seeing a surge in activity as vendors prepare to meet the increased demand for goods and services during the eight-day celebration.
The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the biggest annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunions. This year, it falls on Jan 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
In Zaozhuang City of east China's Shandong Province, the rural market is already filled with a strong festive atmosphere. People are busy buying couplets and other goods for the Spring Festival, with stalls displaying a dazzling array of products and vendors' shouts filling the air.
The market, which has a history of over 100 years and is held on the forth and ninth days in China's lunar months, has attracted residents from nearby to join in the lively celebrations.
In Luoyuan County of Fuzhou City in east China's Fujian Province, the locally produced yellow croakers are in high demand. Fisherman said 20 million yellow croakers have been freshly harvested and are now available for purchase.
"The fish were put into the lake in spring of 2023 and have now grown to an average weight of about 8 liang (about 0.4 kilograms) each," said Huang Jianfeng, a local fish farmer.
Meanwhile, gold sales continued to boom despite the soaring price, about 634 yuan (over 86 U.S. dollars) per gram as of Monday, as many Chinese consumers buy gold products before the Spring Festival for good luck, or for investment.
Staff at a gold store in Shenzhen of south China's Guangdong Province said that this year is a lot busier than before.
"There has been a great increase in the number of customers and sales this year. At the beginning of last year, we could still cope with the guests. But we feel that we are obviously too busy this year," said Cai Yihan, staff member of a gold store in Shuibei, Shenzhen's renowned gold and jewelry district.
The demand for fresh flowers has also reached its annual high in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
In its provincial capital Kunming's Dounan Flower Market, which accounts for 70 percent of China's national fresh-cut flower trade, its sales peak is expected to last for about three weeks.
This year, new varieties like tulips are gaining popularity and are likely to become the most sold in China, according to the Van den Berg Roses Planting Base in Kunming, a rose grower brand from the Netherlands.
In addition, due to reduced exports from the Netherlands, the main source of tulip imports, China's domestic tulip prices have risen by one fourth compared to last year.
The increased market demand has led to a significant boost in income for local flower farmers.
"The strong market demand has led to a 5 percent increase in income for local farmers compared to previous years," said Guo Xinggang, production manager of the Van den Berg Roses Planting Base.
Festive consumption heats up in China as Spring Festival approaches