Top Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed in Tehran Attack, Confirms Iran’s IRGC
Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a targeted strike on his residence in Tehran at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, according to a statement from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as reported by Reuters. Hamas, the Palestinian group currently engaged in conflict with Israel in Gaza, confirmed that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in what they described as an “Israeli raid.”
In response to Haniyeh’s death, an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is underway at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s residence, a rare occurrence indicating the gravity of the situation. The chief of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force is also present.
Haniyeh had recently attended the inauguration of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and met with Khamenei. Israel has stated that its military is prepared for any scenario but prefers to resolve hostilities without escalating into a wider war. In light of the assassination, Iran has declared three days of mourning, with Khamenei vowing retribution against Israel.
Amid ongoing conflict, Haniyeh had been involved in ceasefire negotiations. Previously, in April, Hamas claimed Israeli airstrikes killed several of Haniyeh’s family members. The military wing of Hamas, led by Yahya Sinwar, is credited with orchestrating the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the current conflict.
The incident follows the recent killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander of Hezbollah, by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). The IDF accused Shukr of orchestrating a drone strike that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.
The United States, via Secretary of State Antony Blinken, denied any involvement in Haniyeh’s assassination. Pakistan and China condemned the killing, while Germany criticised the cycle of reprisals in the Middle East. Haniyeh, who rose through the ranks of Hamas to become its political leader, had a long history with the organisation and was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the United States in 2017.
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