Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard say that a high-ranking Hamas leader has died in Tehran, the capital of Iran.
The political leader of the Hamas terrorist organization that dominates the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in Tehran, Iran, Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say.
In the Hamas statement, Haniyeh is said to have died in a “deceptive attack by the Zionists on his apartment”. According to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Haniyeh’s bodyguard was also killed in the assassination.
It is not yet clear how the assassination took place. Some sources speak of an airstrike, some of a shooting. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it is investigating the assassination.
Haniyeh attended in Tehran yesterday the new president of Iran by Masoud Pezeshian to the inauguration.
Israel has so far not commented on what happened. Israel has vowed to destroy all of Hamas because of the October 7th terrorist attack. Haniyeh has been one of Israel’s most important targets: her picture was distributed to Israeli soldiers after the start of the Gaza war.
Haniyeh, 62, is widely regarded as the leader of the entire Hamas organization. He was the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip from 2006 until 2017, when he was replaced Yahya Sinwar.
In the same year, Haniyeh was named chairman of the political department of Hamas. The United States designated Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, as a terrorist in the same year.
Hamas vows revenge
Haniyeh was outspoken, but in diplomatic circles he was considered somewhat of a moderate among Hamas leaders. Haniyeh participated to some extent in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas that took place through intermediaries. He spent the last few years in Turkey and Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Hanieyh’s assassination falls on an extremely sensitive situation for the entire Middle East. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been striking each other intensely in recent days.
The assassination may have an impact on negotiations between Israel and Hamas through mediators regarding the exchange of hostages and a possible cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Hamas representatives swore on the Al-Aqsa TV channel’s broadcast that they would avenge the “cowardly act”.
Hamas representative Sami Abu Zuhri tells Reuters that Haniyeh’s assassination “will not achieve anything” and calls what happened a “serious escalation”.
Source: Reuters, AFP
The story is updated.
The story was corrected on July 31, 2024 at 6:54 a.m. The word “assault” used in the story was changed to “attack”, because there is varying information about the way the assassination was carried out.