Iran on Saturday condemned the killing of a top Palestinian militant on Friday, defining it as an Israeli selective murder case, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Israel is now taking revenge of the Palestinians by inhumanely assassinating their popular personalities," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

Asefi was referring to the death of Abu Yousef al-Guga, a top leader of the Popular Resistance Committees who was killed in a mysterious car explosion in Gaza City on Friday. Al-Guga was wanted by Israeli forces for alleged involvement in attacks on Israeli targets.

But an Israeli Defense Forces spokesman denied any involvement in the incident.

"Imposing mounting political pressures against the new Palestinian government and assassinating Palestinian personalities is still atop the agenda of the expansionist policies pursued by the usurper Israeli regime," Asefi said.

The spokesman warned that "the security of the entire region is now at stake due to the expansionist and terrorist policies pursued by Tel Aviv that is maddened" due to the victory of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the recent Palestinian elections.

"Such moves that are aimed at creating obstacles in the way of the establishment of the new Palestinian government are doomed to failure thanks to the strong determination of the Palestinian nation," Asefi added.

Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruction, has formally sworn in its cabinet as Israel vows to avoid all contact with the new Hamas-led Palestinian government.

Source: Xinhua