Hamas confirmed that the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an airstrike by the Israeli army on his residence in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
HE WAS IN TEHRAN FOR THE CEREMONY
In a written statement, Hamas said Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the handing over ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
It was reported that Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike by the Israeli army on his residence in Tehran after the ceremony.
Iranian state television announced that Haniyeh had been killed.
HAMAS: IT WILL NOT LEAVE UNANSWERED
“The killing of leader Ismail Haniyeh is a cowardly act that will not go unanswered,” senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk said in a statement.
FIRST STATEMENT FROM TURKEY
The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read, “We condemn the murder of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in a vile assassination in Tehran. This attack aims to spread the war in Gaza to a regional level. It has been revealed once again that the Netanyahu Government has no intention of reaching peace. If the international community does not take action to stop Israel, our region will face much greater conflicts.” On the other hand, TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş said, “Ismail Haniyeh was martyred in a vile attack by the enemy of humanity and the massacred Zionist Israeli administration. I pray to Allah for his mercy.”
RUSSIA: UNACCEPTABLE
The Russian Foreign Ministry made a statement regarding the assassination, saying, “This is an absolutely unacceptable political assassination and will lead to further escalation of tensions.”
ISRAEL DID NOT COMMENT
The Israeli army has declined to comment on the attack on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran.
An Israeli Army Spokesperson Unit official, reached by phone by an AA correspondent, responded to the question, “Do you confirm that Haniyeh was killed in the Israeli attack in Tehran?” by saying, “We are not commenting on this issue.”
THE NORTH OF THE COUNTRY IS CLOSED TO FLIGHTS
The Israeli government has reportedly closed the north of the country to flights due to tensions in the region following the attacks in Beirut and Tehran.
STATEMENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE
The White House said it had seen reports that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in Iran. An unnamed White House official told CNN, “We have seen reports that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in Iran.” The official did not provide detailed information on the matter.
Haniyeh attended the oath-taking ceremony of 9th President Masoud Pezeshkian held at the Iranian Parliament yesterday.
HIS 3 SONS AND 4 GRANDCHILDREN WERE KILLED
On April 10, the Israeli army shot the vehicle carrying many family members of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh, who was on his way to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday with residents and their relatives in the Al-Shati Refugee Camp west of Gaza City.
Haniye, who lost her three sons and four grandchildren in the attack, said that “her children did not leave Gaza, but sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Haniye’s granddaughter Melek Haniye, who was injured in the attack carried out by the Israeli army during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, also died in the hospital where she was receiving treatment.
According to the Israeli press, “the assassination of the sons of Haniyeh was carried out with the cooperation of the Israeli army and intelligence.”
Haniyeh was elected as the Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau by the Hamas Shura Council on May 6, 2017, replacing Khaled Meshaal.