Hamas top leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran
The ‘top leader’ of Hama, Ismail Haniyeh, has been killed in an Israeli attack on Tehran, the group has said. Iranian media reported that Haniyeh was staying at a building for war veterans in the Iranian capital when the attack took place, with some reports implying that he was killed by an air strike. The 62-year-old was widely considered to be the top leader of Hamas
Israel has not commented but has said that it vows to destroy Hamas after 7th October attack on southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and others were kidnapped. Israel retaliated with a large military operation in the Gaza strip which has since seen at least 39,400 people killed, the Hamas-run health ministry reported.
According to the group, Haniyeh was in Tehran to take part in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian who was sworn in on Tuesday, 30th July.
Its political bureau member Musa Abu Marzuk called it a “cowardly act” that “will not go unanswered” while another senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri said that the group will “continue on its path.”
The Iranian foreign ministry said that the “martyrdom” of Haniyeh would “strengthen the deep and unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance,” according to state media. The ministries of Turkey, Russia, and Qatar have all condemned the attack.
This came just hours after Israel reported that it had killed the top military commander of Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based group that is also supported by Iran. Israel said that it killed Fuad Shukr in an air strike in response to a rocket attack on the Golan Heights over the weekend. Hezbollah has not confirmed if a senior commander has been killed by an Israeli attack in Beirut but said that Shukr was in building that was targeted.
Image: Blondinrikard Fröberg from Göteborg, Sweden
