Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the terror group confirmed on Wednesday morning.
Haniyeh is the highest-ranking Hamas figure killed since October 7.
According to Iran’s state-run IRNA, Haniyeh and an Iranian security guard were killed inside the Tehran residence where he was staying.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah reacted today for the first time to the elimination of his top military commander Fuad Shukr who was assassinated just a day before Haniyeh. He accused Israel of crossing a red line and threatened, “The enemy should wait for revenge for all the blood that was spilled. The escalation depends now on Israel’s conduct and response.”
All of this has created spiraling tensions and fears of a full outbreak of war. As a result, many major airlines have cancelled their flights to and from Israel.
Since the war began, Israel has eliminated many key people in the vast terrorist network that seeks to delegitimize and wipe it off the map. Haniyeh’s elimination should not be taken lightly as he was one of the heads of the snake and their #2 man and leader of the Hamas political bureau. Haniyeh’s shocking loss to Hamas – and Iran – represents a serious victory to the enemies of terrorism. It’s also another removal of a driver of terrorist activity that harms the security and safety of Israel. However, it remains to be seen what this portends for an all-out war.
Sources:
Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Killed in Tehran, by Pesach Benson/TPS, July 31, 2024