Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed retribution against Israel following the killing of Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh. This assassination has heightened the risk of further conflict escalation.
Khamenei declared that Israel “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” after Haniyeh was killed in an early morning airstrike in Tehran on Wednesday. He emphasized, “We consider his revenge as our duty,” referring to Haniyeh as “a dear guest in our home” on his official website.
Hamas has directly blamed Israel for the attack. In a statement, the group announced, “Haniyeh was killed in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.” They further declared, “Hamas announces to the Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and all free people of the world, that brother leader Ismail Haniyeh is a martyr.”
Israel had previously pledged to target Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. The Israeli military declined to comment, as is often the case with operations allegedly conducted by their Mossad intelligence agency.
Hamas quoted Haniyeh, stating, “The Palestinian cause has costs, and we are ready for these costs: martyrdom for the sake of Palestine, and for the sake of God Almighty, and for the dignity of this nation.”
Hamas’ military wing noted that Haniyeh’s assassination “takes the battle to new dimensions and will have major repercussions on the entire region,” suggesting that Israel “miscalculated by expanding the circle of aggression.”
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, told the AP that the loss of Haniyeh wouldn’t weaken the group, as they have emerged stronger from previous crises and the assassination of leaders.
Haniyeh, who had been living in exile in Qatar since 2019, was in Tehran for Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, along with other Hamas and Hezbollah officials. Iran has not provided details on the circumstances of Haniyeh’s death, with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stating the attack is under investigation.
This incident follows a rare Israeli strike in Beirut that reportedly killed Fouad Shukur, a senior Hezbollah military commander, amid rising tensions with the Lebanese militant group. Hezbollah has not confirmed Shukur’s death.
Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “vile assassination” of Haniyeh, suggesting it aimed to spread the Gaza conflict to a regional scale. They expressed condolences to the Palestinian people, criticizing the Netanyahu Government’s approach to peace.
The White House has not immediately responded to the assassination, which comes as the Biden administration has been pushing for a cease-fire and hostage-release deal between Hamas and Israel.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 39,360 Palestinians have been killed and over 90,900 wounded in Israel’s conflict with Hamas since the October attack.
