The top political leader of Hamas was killed in an airstrike inside Iran on Wednesday, marking another blow to the already weakened terrorist group, according to multiple reports.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an airstrike in Tehran, Iran’s capital, after attending the inauguration of the new Iranian president on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Though no one has taken immediate responsibility for the strike, Hamas and Iran both immediately declared Israel responsible and vowed revenge.
What a 24 hours…
– Hamas top leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran
– Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr killed in Israeli airstrike in Beirut
– US airstrike kills Iranian proxy group PMU commanders in Iraq near Baghdad
– Venezuela in full uprising against Maduro pic.twitter.com/weBxgJgK45
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 31, 2024
Israel has declared on several occasions that it would go to great lengths to ensure the destruction of Hamas, both inside and outside of Gaza, the region that mainly houses the terrorist group. Though it often takes credit for strikes against its enemies — such as in a strike against a top Hezbollah official on Tuesday — Israel will often remain silent when its chief spy agency, Mossad, carries out operations.
“Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a statement on Wednesday.
Haniyeh was among the top operatives of Hamas and focused more on the group’s political operations in the Middle East region than its military activities, which are largely the responsibility of Yahya Sinwar, who himself remains at large as is suspected to be hiding somewhere in Gaza.
Haniyeh praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, which killed 1,200 people, according to a MEMRI archive of his comments to Al Jazeera at the time.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
(Featured image credit: Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)
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