Assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran raises fears of Gaza conflict spreading to Middle East - Reuters

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran early Wednesday morning, an attack that sparked "threats of retaliation against Israel" and further heightened concerns that the Gaza conflict is turning into a wider war in the Middle East, Reuters reports, UNN writes.

Details

A Palestinian paramilitary group and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed Haniyeh's death. The Guardians said it happened a few hours after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's new president.

While many speculated that Israel carried out the attack, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not claim responsibility and said it would not comment on the killing.

Haniyeh, who usually resided in Qatar, was the face of Hamas's international diplomacy as the war raged in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. He was involved in indirect internationally mediated negotiations to achieve a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

The assassination took place less than 24 hours after Israel announced the killing of a Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital of Beirut in retaliation for a deadly strike on the Golan Heights.

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"Recent developments seem to cast aside the chances of any quick ceasefire agreement in the nearly 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian Hamas

In a statement, the armed wing of Hamas said that Haniyeh's assassination "will take the battle to a new level and will have serious consequences.

Vowing to retaliate, Iran declared three days of national mourning and said the United States was responsible for supporting Israel.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Israel gave grounds for "severe punishment for itself" and that it was Tehran's duty to avenge the death of the Hamas leader. Earlier, Iranian troops had already struck directly at Israel during the war in Gaza, the newspaper notes.

An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment on Haniyeh's assassination, but said the country was on high alert for any Iranian retaliation.

Spokesman David Menser told reporters at a briefing that Israel is committed to negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

During an event in Singapore, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sidestepped the issue of Haniyeh's murder, saying that the Gaza ceasefire agreement is key to avoiding wider escalation in the region. He told Channel News Asia that the US was not aware of the killing and was not involved.

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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that Israel is not trying to escalate the war, but is ready for any scenario.

Qatar, which, along with Egypt, is mediating talks aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza, condemned Haniyeh's murder as a dangerous escalation of the conflict.

"The political assassinations and the ongoing attacks on civilians in Gaza during the negotiations make us ask how mediation can be successful when one side assassinates a negotiator from the other side?" - said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in X.

Egypt said it showed a lack of political will on the part of Israel to calm tensions. The incident was also condemned by China, Russia, Turkey and Iraq.

Iran's top security body held a meeting to determine a strategy in response to the assassination, a source familiar with the situation said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killing, and Palestinian factions in the West Bank called for a strike and mass demonstrations.

"The mood in Israel was upbeat, as Israelis hailed what they saw as a major achievement in the war against Hamas. Residents of the besieged Gaza Strip feared that Haniyeh's death would prolong the fighting that has devastated the enclave," the newspaper noted.