Hamas leader assassinated in Tehran
Killing prompts rising fears that Gaza conflict will escalate
FEARS of the Gaza conflict escalating into a wider Middle East war dramatically increased today after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
His death came 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon who it said was behind a deadly strike on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights which killed a dozen children and teenagers.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said avenging the Hamas political leader’s assassination was “Tehran’s duty” because it occurred in the Iranian capital. The Israeli government press office posted an image of Mr Haniyeh on Facebook, with the word “eliminated” across his forehead.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Mr Haniyeh, hours after he attended a swearing-in ceremony for the country’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to meet security officials for consultations.
The armed wing of Hamas said the killing of Mr Haniyeh would “take the battle to new dimensions”.
America, Britain and other allies are calling for a de-escalation of the crisis.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would work to try to ease tensions but said America would help defend Israel if it was attacked.
“I don’t think war is inevitable. I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunities for diplomacy,” he said during a visit to the Philippines.
Qatar, which has been brokering talks aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza, condemned Mr Haniyeh’s killing, as did China and Russia.
The assassination of Mr Haniyeh comes as Israel’s campaign in Gaza approaches the end of its 10th month with no sign of an end. Despite anger at Netanyahu’s government from families of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and mounting international pressure for a ceasefire, talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar appear to have faltered.
At the same time, the risk of a war between Israel and Hezbollah has grown following the strike in the Golan Heights that killed 12 young people in a Druze village on Saturday and the subsequent reported killing of the senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
Mr Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, was seen as more moderate than some of the Hamas leaders in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office, though, requested an arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes at the same time it issued a similar request against Mr Netanyahu.
The war started last October when Hamas-led fighters launched a devastating attack, killing 1,200 people and abducting some 250 hostages.
In response, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 39,400 people.