The countries that have so far condemned the killing of the top Hamas official include Iran, Türkiye and Russia.
Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh has been assassinated in an Israeli air strike in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Wednesday, marking a dangerous escalation in the region.
Haniyeh, who has been exiled in Doha since 2019, had travelled to Tehran on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was sworn in after his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash in May.
Hamas confirmed Haniyeh’s assassination in a statement on Wednesday morning, where it said he “was killed in a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”.
The Palestinian group’s official, Moussa Abu Marzouk, also described the killing of Haniyeh as a “cowardly act that will not go unpunished.”
Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) also confirmed the assassination of Haniyeh, saying it will release further details on the attack later.
Senior Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri described the killing of the Palestinian group’s political chief as a “grave escalation that will not achieve its goals,” as quoted by Reuters.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Deputy Secretary-General, Muhammad Al-Hindi, told Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen that the assassination was also directed at Iran.
“This assassination is not only directed at the Palestinian resistance and Hamas, in particular, but it is also directed at Iran,” Al-Hindi said. “Israel is on the verge of collapse, and its reactions reflect confusion and inability to achieve any of its goals.”
While the Israeli government has yet to issue a statement on the killing, Amichai Eliyahu, Israel’s Minister of Heritage, admitted Israel’s killing of Haniyeh.
“This is the right way to clean the world of this filth. No more imaginary peace/surrender agreements. No more mercy. The iron hand that will strike them is the one that will bring peace and a little comfort and strengthen our ability to live in peace with those who desire peace. Haniyeh’s death makes the world a little better,” he said on X.
Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas has strongly condemned the assassination of Haniyeh and said the move was “a cowardly act and a dangerous development.”
“The President called on the Palestinian people to unite, be patient and steadfast in the face of the Israeli occupation,” Abbas said, as cited by Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The countries that have so far condemned the killing of the top Hamas official include Iran, Türkiye and Russia.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that Haniyeh’s “blood will never be wasted,” Al Jazeera reported.
Türkiye’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying Haniyeh’s killing has demonstrated that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has no intention of achieving peace.”
“[The] region will face much larger conflicts if [the] international community does not take action to stop Israel,” the ministry added.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian media that the killing of Haniyeh is “an absolutely unacceptable political murder.”
“This is an absolutely unacceptable political murder, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions,” he told the RIA Novosti state news agency.
The assassination of Haniyeh came hours after Israel attacked the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh on Tuesday evening, where it killed one woman and two children while injuring at least 74 others, as per the latest figures by Lebanon’s health ministry.
Israel said it targeted and killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in the attack, claiming he was behind Saturday’s attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, despite the Lebanese group denying responsibility for it.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, Hezbollah said it has yet to learn about the fate of Shukur.
The attack on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights raised further concerns over the security of the region, which has already been witnessing flare ups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen since Israel started the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
