Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Tehran; Hamas, Iran blame Israel

Tehran, Aug 1 (Representative) Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran early on Wednesday morning, hours after attending the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, an event that was attended by leaders and representatives from over 80 countries, including senior Indian Minister Nitin Gadkari. The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed Haniyeh’s death. The 62-year-old Hamas leader was killed in a “raid on his residence in Tehran” after he attended the inauguration ceremony for President Pezeshkian, Hamas said. Both Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of carrying out the strike. However, there has been no immediate comment from the Israeli authorities.Indian Roadways Minister Gadkari, who attended the inauguration of the new Iranian President, was also present at the photo-op with the other world personalities who attended the ceremony in Tehran, as was the Hamas leader Haniyeh who was standing in the front row. The US has said it was “not aware of or involved in” the strike that killed Haniyeh, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The killing of the Hamas leader has drawn threats of revenge on Israel and fuelled further concern that the conflict in Gaza – which began with the sudden and violent attack on Israel by the Hamas on October 7 last year — is turning into a wider Middle East war. Haniyeh had been taking part in internationally-brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and had made announcements about its progress. It is unclear how his death will affect efforts to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip and secure the release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Announcing his death, Hamas said Haniyeh was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”. Haniyeh’s killing comes a day after the leader of Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, was killed in Beirut, Lebanon. Israel announced the killing of Hezbollah’s most senior military commander Fuad Shukr on Tuesday.

Israel has blamed Shukr for a deadly attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children last Saturday. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s most senior military commander” Fuad Shukr. Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel had provided the grounds for “harsh punishment for itself” and it was Tehran’s duty to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Haniyeh.Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militia have declared three days of mourning and directed flags to be lowered following the killing of the Hamas leader. The head of the Houthis’ supreme political council, Mahdi al-Mashat, has blamed Israel. Mashat has held Israel and the US responsible for “expanding the arena of war, confrontation and the wave of assassinations.” Hamas’ armed wing said in a statement that Haniyeh’s killing would “take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions”.Vowing to retaliate, Iran declared three days of national mourning and said the US bears responsibility because of its support for Israel. The Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations posted a message on X saying that the “response to an assassination will indeed be special operations—harder and intended to instill deep regret in the perpetrator”.Qatar, which has been brokering talks aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza along with Egypt, condemned Haniyeh’s killing as a dangerous escalation of the conflict. Egypt said the killing showed a lack of political will on Israel’s part to calm tensions. China, Russia, Turkey and Iraq have also condemned the killing. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was not trying to escalate the war but was prepared for all scenarios.