The Hamas political bureau chief was one of the terrorist group's most senior leaders alongside Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7 massacres
July 31, 2024 05:12
The chairman of Hamas’s overseas political bureau was killed in Iran early on Wednesday morning, according to Iranian government sources and Hamas.
Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were reportedly killed by a missile in his Tehran guest house at 2 a.m. local time. An Iranian source told the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen network, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, that the strike "was carried out by means of a missile launched from country to country, not from within Iran."
The Hamas leader was in Iran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
He was killed in a “treacherous Zionist raid,” according to a Hamas social media channel. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also confirmed Haniyeh’s death in a statement published by the Islamic Republic's state-run media. The Israeli government has not commented on Haniyeh’s death, which came a few hours after the assassination by Israel of senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukar in the heart of Beirut, which was acknowledged by the Israeli military.
Despite instructions from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office for ministers to avoid making public statements on the Iran strike, some did so anyway.
Israeli Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu tweeted that "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."
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli tweeted, "Careful What You Wish For," accompanied by a video of the Iranian parliament chanting "Death to Israel" during Tuesday's inauguration while Haniyeh nodded in approval.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hosted Haniyeh and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhaleh earlier this week in Tehran.
Based in the Qatari capital of Doha, Haniyeh was one of the most senior members of Hamas, along with the terror group's leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas condemned the assassination in an official statement, calling it "a cowardly act and a dangerous development." PA official Hussein al-Sheikh also condemned the killing: "We see this as a cowardly act that calls us to remain steadfast in the face of the occupation, and we need to achieve unity of the Palestinian forces and factions."
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk also called it a "cowardly act" that "will not go unnoticed," while the terror group's spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that it was "a dangerous escalation that will not achieve its goals."
Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy secretary general of Islamic Jihad, called Haniyeh's killing "a great loss for the Palestinian people," adding that "Hamas is a large movement and will fill any void."
Iran's terror proxy in Yemen, the Houthis, called the strike "a terrorist crime and flagrant violation."
The New York Times reported on Wednesday morning that Iran was holding an emergency meeting of the Supreme National Security Council at the Supreme Leader's residence, with the participation of Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani.
An Iranian source told Reuters that the "security bodies" will decide on "our response strategy" to the assassination.
Moscow also condemned the killing, calling it "an unacceptable political murder." Ankara said the "attack was meant to expand the scope of the war in Gaza to a regional one.”
The White House said early Wednesday that it was aware of the assassination without commenting further, while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday in the Philippines that a wider war was not inevitable and that the U.S. would defend Israel if attacked.
The assassination came as a U.S. delegation led by Brett McGurk, the White House's top Middle East adviser, is in Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in Yemen and the recent escalation between Israel and the Houthis.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) wrote that "Haniyeh was the terrorist face of Hamas. The guy hobnobbing with the Ayatollahs and holding court in luxury hotels in Qatar and Turkey."
"He skimmed billions of dollars off smuggling goods into Gaza while the people suffered in poverty," Waltz added. "Even the IRGC couldn’t protect him."
"The leader of Hamas has been brought to justice. Permanently," US Representative Ritchie Torres wrote. "A special place in hell is reserved for him."
"Hamas and Hezbollah, their leadership dead, are having a bad day," the congressman added.