The murder of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya has provoked strong reactions worldwide. Haniya was visiting Iran when he was killed, and the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed revenge in a statement.
The attack is just one in a series of targeted assassinations of Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders carried out since the Oct. 7 attack, the database of the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, ACLED, shows.
SVT verifies
Trump accused migrants of eating pets – this we know
Burning residential buildings in Moscow after drone attack
Civilians in the crossfire
A total of 40 military commanders and leaders have been killed in 34 attacks. At least 13 civilians were killed in the attacks.
An example is a drone attack on a Hamas leader in southern Lebanon on March 13, 2024, when a passing motorcyclist died.
Refuses to comment
Some targeted killings Israel has confirmed, others it has refrained from commenting on, such as the one against Ismail Haniya. But the consensus among Middle East experts is that Israel was behind them.
– The list of suspects starts and ends with Israel, says Anders Persson, political scientist and expert on the Israel-Palestine conflict at Linnaeus University.
Three purposes
The tactic of targeted killings has been used by Israel since World War II and has three purposes, according to Anders Persson.
The state of evidence regarding the effectiveness of the method points in different directions – there are examples of both setbacks and what are considered successful operations. Anders Persson tells more about them in the clip above.
Controversial method
Critics of targeted killing say it is unethical and undermines the rule of law.
The other side believes that it is about legitimate self-defense and that there is no alternative.
– There is an in-depth discussion in Israel about whether this is a successful strategy in the long run. But there is no indication that they will stop doing it at the moment, says Anders Persson.
Watch the animated mapping of the targeted killings that rocked the region in the clip.