The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and one of his guards in Tehran has sparked a wave of condemnation and vows of retaliation from Palestinian groups and Iranian officials. The killing has heightened tensions in the Middle East, with some Israeli officials welcoming the news, although the Israeli government has not yet made an official statement.
The public relations department of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Wednesday that Haniyeh and one of his guards were attacked and killed at their residence in Tehran. The Revolutionary Guards expressed condolences to the people of Palestine and the “Islamic nation and fighters of the front”, adding that investigations into the cause and dimensions of the incident are ongoing and the results will be announced soon.
In a second statement, the Revolutionary Guards attributed Haniyeh’s murder to Israel, writing,
“Undoubtedly, this crime of the Zionist regime will face a hard and painful response from the powerful and great resistance front, especially Islamic Iran.”
Iranian Officials React
Following Haniyeh’s assassination, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, held Israel responsible for the attack and spoke of revenge. He wrote in a message, “The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us mourn, but also prepared the ground for a hard punishment.”
Khamenei added,
“We consider his blood-avenging a duty in this bitter and hard incident that has happened in the sanctuary of the Islamic Republic.”
Masoud Pezeshkian, the new President of Iran, referred to Haniyeh as a “permanent and proud companion of the resistance path” and wrote, “Yesterday I raised the hand of the conqueror and today I have to bury him on my shoulders.”
Pezeshkian added that with Haniyeh’s assassination, Iran’s bond with Palestine “will be stronger than before and the path of resistance and defense of the oppressed will be pursued more powerfully than ever.”
Palestinian and Yemeni Groups React
Hamas, in its statement, held Israel responsible for Haniyeh’s murder, although Israel has not yet officially commented on the assassination. Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, called Haniyeh’s assassination a “cowardly act”, adding, “This assassination will certainly not go unanswered.”
Sami Abu Zuhri, one of the leaders of Hamas, in response to Haniyeh’s assassination, said, “We are ready to pay any price for the freedom of Jerusalem.”
The Houthis of Yemen, who are supported by Iran, also called Haniyeh’s assassination a “terrorist crime and a clear violation of international laws.”
Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian self-governing organizations, also condemned the assassination of the Hamas political leader, calling it a cowardly act: “We consider this assassination a cowardly and dangerous move and ask all our people to unite, be patient and steadfast against the Israeli occupiers.”The Israeli government has not officially commented on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas. However, several Israeli ministers have reacted to the news. Amichai Eliyahu, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, welcomed Haniyeh’s death, stating that it makes the world a little better. Shlomo Karhi, the Minister of Communications, also reacted on social media, but his post was later deleted. Amichai Chikli, the Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Anti-Semitism, posted a video of the Hamas leader with the caption “Be careful what you wish for.”
In April, Israel killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren in an airstrike on Gaza. Haniyeh had stated in an interview that these killings did not pressure Hamas to change its stance in ceasefire negotiations with Israel. He also mentioned that 60 of his relatives had been killed since the start of the Gaza war.
Geopolitical Repercussions and Regional Tension
The assassination of Haniyeh comes at an inconvenient time for the US government, as Washington has been trying to broker a temporary ceasefire and prisoner release agreement between Hamas and Israel. The White House has not yet reacted to the assassination, but a White House official stated that they are aware of the news.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called Haniyeh’s assassination a political crime and absolutely unacceptable. Mikhail Bogdanov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, said that the assassination would intensify tensions. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also held Israel responsible for Haniyeh’s murder, stating that it once again shows that the Netanyahu government has no intention of achieving peace. The ministry believes the aim of the assassination is to expand the scope of the Gaza war to the region.
Ismail Haniyeh, the assassinated political bureau chief of Hamas, was an Islamic student activist in his youth and joined Hamas during the first Palestinian uprising in 1987. He was a close aide to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, and was a proponent of Hamas’s entry into politics. Haniyeh became the Prime Minister of Palestine after Hamas’s victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections. He was imprisoned several times by Israeli authorities and lived both inside and outside Gaza after being exiled and surviving assassination attempts.
While the world’s attention is on Haniyeh’s assassination in Iran, an attack on a base in southwestern Baghdad killed four members of the Kataib Hezbollah group, which is supported by Iran. The group accused the United States of being behind the attack. Kataib Hezbollah and other militias have recently launched attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the Gaza war.
In addition to Haniyeh’s assassination, Fouad Shukr, a senior military commander of Hezbollah in Lebanon, was killed in an attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. The attack was in retaliation for a missile strike on the occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers. Hezbollah denied any involvement in the attack on the Golan Heights. The Israeli army stated that the attack on Beirut was a targeted operation based on intelligence. Shukr was a senior advisor to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. The US believed that Shukr was involved in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut and had offered a $5 million reward for his capture.
This is a summary of original Radio Zamaneh content crafted with the help of AI, edited by a Radio Zamaneh editor. To read the original article, click here.
