Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been killed in Tehran, according to a statement from the Palestinian militant group. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed that Haniyeh was targeted in his residence along with an Iranian bodyguard. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Haniyeh, who served as the exiled political chief of Hamas, was considered a pragmatist and had been involved in ceasefire negotiations during the Israel-Gaza war. He had close ties with Iran and Turkey, as well as other Palestinian factions.
The killing of Haniyeh has drawn condemnation from Turkey, with the foreign ministry accusing Israel of spreading war in Gaza on a regional level. Iran has also expressed solidarity with Palestine following Haniyeh’s death.
In a separate incident, Israel claimed to have killed a top Hezbollah military commander in an airstrike in Beirut. The tension between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran has raised concerns about escalating regional conflict.
The Russian deputy foreign minister has called Haniyeh’s assassination an “absolutely unacceptable political murder” that will further escalate tensions and negatively impact ceasefire talks in Gaza.
The Israeli military is conducting a situation assessment following the incidents, and has successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target coming from Lebanon. Israel has not made any formal comments on Haniyeh’s killing.
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