Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran and provoking fears of a wider Middle East war
By Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Parisa Hafezi
CAIRO/DUBAI on July 31, (Reuters) — Hamas president Ismail Haniyeh was killed early on Wednesday, in Iran according to the Palestinian terrorist group as well as Tehran claimed, provoking threats of vengeance against Israel across a territory that is already devastated by the war in Gaza and the escalating conflicts in Lebanon.
Its Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh within hours of when the president was sworn in ceremony to be the nation’s new president. The Guards also announced that they was conducting an investigation.
Haniyeh is normally located in Qatar is the Hamas’s face on international diplomacy during the conflict that was triggered by the Hamas-led assault at Israel at the end of October. 7 has been raging in Gaza.
Hamas the armed wing of Hamas said in a statement that Haniyeh’s death will “take the war to new heights and cause significant consequences” as Iran has also pledged to take revenge.
The Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei said Israel had offered the excuse for “harsh punishment against itself” and that it was the responsibility of Tehran to take revenge this Hamas leader’s death since it occurred within Tehran, the Iranian capital. Iranian forces had previously carried out attacks directly against Israel during the Gaza conflict.
There was no response or any claim of responsibility from Israel. The Israeli military stated that they were reviewing the situation, but it had not issued the latest security rules to civilians.
The Prime PM Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to consult with security officials around 4.30 p.m. (1300 GMT).
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington will work to ease tensions, but also said that the United States would help defend Israel should it be attacked.
“I don’t believe war is unavoidable. I’m convinced. I believe there is always room to use diplomacy” the reporter was told on a trip in the Philippines.
The assassination that took place less than 24 hours following the time Israel declared to have killed a Hezbollah commander it claimed was responsible for an fatal attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, could delay any ceasefire deal that is imminent in the ongoing war of 10 months Gaza.
“This assassination carried out by Israel during the Israeli control of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalated attack that is aimed at breaking the desire for Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
He added that Hamas was that Palestinian Islamist group that ruled Gaza prior to the Israeli attack, would follow the same path it had been following.
“We are optimistic about winning,” he said.
Qatar is in the process of negotiating talks to stop the conflict in Gaza and condemned the killing of Haniyeh as a dangerous step towards escalating the war.
China, Russia and Turkey have also condemned it.
The top security agency of Iran was gathered to discuss Iran’s strategy in the wake of the demise of Haniyeh who was a close allies of Tehran an insider who has knowledge of the circumstances told.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the murder and Palestinian factions in Israel’s occupied West Bank called for a strike and massive demonstrations.
PUBLIC FACE of HAMAS
The assassination of Haniyeh occurs as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is nearing the close of its 10th month and there is no indication of a conclusion to a conflict which has the potential to escalate into a larger conflict in the region. The ceasefire talks mediated through Egypt and Qatar seem to have stalled.
In the meantime the possibility of a conflict among Israel as well as Hezbollah has increased after the strike that occurred in the Golan Heights that claimed the lives of 12 children from the Druze village last Saturday, and the subsequent death of most senior Hezbollah commanding officer Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah hasn’t yet confirmed Shukr’s death however they said he was in the structure struck with the Israeli strike.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor’s office asked for the issuance of an an arrest warrant for Haniyeh in connection with possible war crimes, in the same way that it made the same request to Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu.
The appointment to the Hamas highest position in 2017 by Hamas, he’s been able to move between Turkey and Qatar’s capital city Doha and Doha, evading the restrictions on travel within the largely occupied Gaza Strip and enabling him to be an intermediary in ceasefire negotiations or meet with Hamas its partner Iran. His sons, three of them killed during a Israeli attack in April.
His death, which occurred following the murder of his deputy Saleh Al-Arouri in January by Israel is the death of Yehya Al-Sinwar, the Hamas head within Gaza, the Gaza Strip and the architect of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel as well as Zaher Jabarin, who is the leader of the Hamas group within the West Bank, in place but hiding.
The conflict began on Oct. 7 when fighters from Hamas overcame security barriers around Gaza and unleashed a devastating strike on Israeli communities in the area which killed 1,200 people as well as taking hostages of around 250 into Gaza and capturing them with Israeli tallies.
In the aftermath, Israel launched a relentless air and ground offensive in the coastal area that caused the deaths of more than 39.400 people as per Gaza health officials. It has also left over 2 million people facing an acute humanitarian crisis.