Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated early Wednesday morning in Iran, the Palestinian militant group announced, raising fears of wider escalation in a region already tense due to Israel’s war in Gaza and escalating conflict in Lebanon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed Ismail Haniyeh’s death, which occurred just hours after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s new president. The Guards stated they were investigating the incident.
“This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas,” said senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri to Reuters. “We are confident of our path and will continue to follow it.”
Rhonda Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, commented on the situation but there was no immediate response from Israel. The Israeli military stated it was conducting a situational assessment but had not issued new security guidelines for civilians.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assured that Washington would work to ease tensions but reaffirmed that the United States would help defend Israel if attacked.
This news comes less than 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander responsible for a deadly strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, further diminishing hopes for an imminent ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
