Hamas Says Top Political Leader Haniyeh Killed in Iran
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in an Israeli strike in Iran's capital, Tehran, the Palestinian militant group claimed in a statement on Wednesday. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's Pres. Masoud Pezeshkian....
0:00
/1861
Facts
- Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in an Israeli strike in Iran's capital, Tehran, the Palestinian militant group claimed in a statement on Wednesday. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's Pres. Masoud Pezeshkian.[1]
- Haniyeh was reportedly killed along with one of his bodyguards when an 'airborne guided projectile' struck a special residence for military veterans in Northern Tehran at about 2 am local time. Israel hasn't yet commented on Haniyeh's death.[2]
- Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said that Haniyeh's assassination marks 'a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas.' He added that Hamas wouldn't back down and remain 'confident of victory.'[3]
- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to the attack by threatening Tel Aviv with revenge for the assassination of Haniyeh — who had lived in exile in Qatar — calling it Iran's 'duty' as the attack took place on Iranian soil.[4]
- Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US would 'help defend Israel' if it were to be attacked, adding that the White House seeks to 'take the temperature down' and avoid regional escalation through diplomatic means.[5]
- Haniyeh's death comes after Israel reportedly killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a retaliatory airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday following a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hamas denied any involvement in the attack.[6]
Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Al Jazeera, [3]Reuters, [4]Ft, [5]Newsweek and [6]POLITICO.
Narratives
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Haniyeh and Shukr's deaths are significant blows to Iran's axis of terrorist groups, who seem to confuse cause and effect in their furious talk of escalation and retaliation, for it was Hamas that viciously attacked Israel on Oct. 7 — sparking a spiral of violence. Tel Aviv's operation shows that the terrorists shouldn't underestimate Israel, and only if Israelis show strength will there finally be peace.
- Anti-Israel narrative, as provided by PressTV. Haniyeh's cowardly killing and the repeated violation of Iran's territorial sovereignty is the Israeli regime's latest attempt to escalate and expand the conflict. The vicious attack wouldn't have been possible without the blessing of the US, which covers every Israeli crime. However, the Axis of Resistance will continue its struggle with greater resolve than ever and is fully prepared for all-out confrontation.
