TEHRAN: Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of Hamas, was reportedly assassinated early Wednesday in Tehran, Iran, announced the Palestinian group Hamas, sparking concerns of increased tensions in a region already affected by Israel’s Gaza offensive and escalating conflict in Lebanon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president, and stated that an investigation is underway.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president, and stated that an investigation is underway.
As per report, There was no immediate comment from Israel. The Israeli military stated it was conducting a situational assessment but had not issued any new security guidelines for civilians.
The news, arriving less than 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed the Hezbollah commander it accused of being behind a deadly strike in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, seems to diminish the prospects of any imminent ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
“This assassination of Brother Haniyeh by the Israeli occupation is a grave escalation aimed at breaking the will of Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told a private news agency.
He stated that Hamas would continue on its current path, adding, “We are confident of victory.”
Iran’s top security body is expected to meet to decide the country’s strategy in response to the death of Haniyeh, a close ally of Tehran, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing of Haniyeh, and Palestinian factions in the occupied West Bank called for a general strike and mass demonstrations.
A former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaie, warned that Israel would “pay a heavy price” for assassinating Haniyeh in Tehran, according to Iranian state media.
Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, has been the face of the Palestinian group’s international diplomacy as the conflict triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 has raged in Gaza, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office requested an arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes, concurrently issuing a similar request against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Appointed to the top position in Hamas in 2017, Haniyeh has moved between Turkiye and Qatar’s capital, Doha, avoiding the travel restrictions of the blockaded Gaza Strip and allowing him to serve as a negotiator in ceasefire talks or communicate with Hamas’ ally Iran.
The assassination of Haniyeh comes as Israel’s campaign in Gaza approaches the end of its 10th month, with no sign of an end to a conflict that has shaken the Middle East and threatens to spiral into a wider regional conflict.
Despite anger at Netanyahu’s government from families of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar seem to have faltered.
