Jerusalem: Vowing a severe response for the killing of its spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the radical Islamic group Hamas today (Mar 22, 2004) threatened that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will have to pay with his life and flayed the United States for "backing" the assassination.

"Sharon has opened the gates of hell and nothing will stop us from cutting off his head," Hamas leaders said following the Israeli air strike on the wheel-chaired paraplegic Yassin, which also left seven other Palestinians dead.

"Words cannot describe the emotion of anger and hate inside our hearts," said Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh, a close associate of Yassin in Gaza adding, "The enemy should expect a response that will turn the ground under his feet to hell. All of Palestine will turn into a volcano that will burn up the enemies."

Top Hamas official Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who himself earlier survived an assassination attempt in June said, "Yassin is a man in a nation, and a nation in a man. And the retaliation of this nation will be of the size of this man. You will see deeds not words."

In a veiled threat to the United States, the group said that the Islamic groups around the world would join together to retaliate for the assassination.

"The Zionists didn't carry out their operation without getting the consent of the terrorist American administration and it must take responsibility for this crime. All the Muslims of the world will be honoured to join in on the retaliation for this crime," local media quoted a Hamas release as saying.