The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in the early hours in Tehran, according to announcements from both Hamas and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, who accused Israel of orchestrating the attack.
Hamas specifically blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s assassination. Haniyeh had been leading the organization’s political operations from Qatar. The statement was made on Hamas’s official Telegram account. Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s newly elected president.
Haniyeh was the key figure in the Hamas-Israel negotiations for a possible ceasefire, which had recently stalled. His assassination makes the prospects for an agreement even more uncertain.
Haniyeh lived in Qatar and was the key figure in the negotiations with Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to comment and have said they will not address reports from foreign media.
On Tuesday, the IDF announced a separate strike against a Hezbollah commander in the southern suburbs of Beirut. This strike targeted a senior official who serves as a close advisor to the Hezbollah leader, according to three Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The simultaneous assassinations of two leaders from different Iran-backed groups could further escalate the ongoing conflict in the region, which has been in turmoil since early last October.
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