Ismail Haniyeh, the top Hamas terrorist leader, was assassinated in Iran Tuesday night, sparking concerns over retaliation by Iran and the Iran-backed terrorist organization.
According to The New York Times, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed that Haniyeh was killed in the Iranian capital of Tehran during a visit for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The New York Times reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps released a statement, saying, “The residence of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political office of Hamas Islamic Resistance, was hit in Tehran, and as a result of this incident, he and one of his bodyguards were martyred.”
The death of the top Hamas leader comes after the Iran-backed terrorist group launched a major attack against Israel last October, resulting in the death of over 1,200 people and sparking a deadly war between Israel and Hamas.
The Daily Wire reported that while it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the assassination of Haniyeh, Israel had publicly announced that it was targeting Hamas officials, including terrorist leaders on foreign soil, in response to the October 7 attack. According to Fox News, while Israel did not immediately comment on Tuesday’s assassination, the U.S. ally does not usually issue public statements regarding assassinations conducted by its Mossad intelligence organization.
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Following Tuesday’s assassination, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed it would be Iran’s “duty to take revenge.”
“The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our home and made us sad, but it also prepared a harsh punishment for itself,” Khamenei said. He added, “Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, we believe it is our duty to take revenge.”
The assassination of Haniyeh occurred on the same day Israel killed Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s “most senior military commander and the head of its Strategic Unit,” in Lebanon after Hezbollah launched an attack against Israel over the weekend that left 12 children dead, according to The Daily Wire.
According to Fox News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a situation assessment hearing on Wednesday in light of the assassination of the top Hamas leader. The outlet also reported that while U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin indicated that the United States would be working to ease tensions in the Middle East, Austin said the U.S. would help Israel defend itself if the country was attacked.
