CAIRO/GAZA STRIP: In a shocking development, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran on Wednesday, the Palestinian group and Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said in separate statements.
Hamas mourned the death of Haniyeh, who it said was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”.
There was no immediate comment from Israel. The Israeli military said it was conducting a situational assessment but had not issued any new security guidelines for civilians.
Haniyeh attended Iran’s new president’s swearing in ceremony on Tuesday.
“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” the Revolutionary Guards said.
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Haniyeh was assassinated around 2am on Wednesday, Iranian media reported, adding that he was staying at “a special residence for war veterans in north Tehran”.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would work to try to ease tensions but said the United States would help defend Israel if it were attacked.
Haniyeh’s killing came after Israel on Tuesday struck a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, killing a senior commander of the group it claimed was responsible for a weekend rocket attack on the Israel-annexed Golan Heights.
Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, had travelled to Tehran to attend Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran’s top security body is expected to meet to decide Iran’s strategy in reaction to the death of Haniyeh, a close ally of Tehran, said a source with knowledge of the meeting.
Hamas says leader’s killing ‘will not go unanswered’
A senior Hamas official said the killing of the Palestinian movement’s chief Ismail Haniyeh “will not go unanswered”.
“The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh is a cowardly act and will not go unanswered,” Hamas policial bureau member Musa Abu Marzuk said in a statement.
Iran vows to defend ‘territorial integrity’
Haniyeh had been in Tehran to attend the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who commented on the X social platform, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, honour, pride and dignity, and make the terrorist invaders regret their cowardly action”.
Condemnations
Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas strongly condemned the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, state news agency WAFA reported.
Palestinian national and Islamic factions called for a general strike and mass demonstrations after Haniyeh’s killing.
Hezbollah
Lebanon’s Hezbollah issued its condolences on after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed overnight in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Hezbollah did not specifically accuse Israel but said it would make Iran aligned groups more determined to confront Israel.
Türkiye
Türkiye condemned the “shameful assassination” of Haniyeh – an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
“We condemn the assassination of the leader of Hamas’s political office, Ismail Haniyeh, in a shameful assassination in Tehran,” the ministry said, adding that “this attack also aims to spread the Gaza war to a regional dimension”.
“We express our condolences to the Palestinian people who have sacrificed hundreds of thousands of martyrs like Haniyeh in order to live in peace in their homeland under the roof of their own state,” the ministry added.
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“Once again the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government has shown that it has no intention of achieving peace.
“If the international community does not take measures to stop Israel, our region will face much large conflicts.”
Haniyeh, who spent much time in Türkiye before the October 7 attacks, last paid a visit to Erdogan in Istanbul in April.
Russia
Russia denounced the “unacceptable political assassination” of Ismail Haniyeh, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov said.
“It is a completely unacceptable political assassination, and this will lead to a further escalation of tensions,” Bogdanov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
Qatar
Qatar strongly condemned the killing of Hamas chief in Tehran, Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the killing of Haniyeh was a dangerous escalation.
China
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “We are highly concerned about the incident and firmly oppose and condemn the assassination.”
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Taliban government said the killing Ismail Haniyeh in neighbouring Iran was “a great loss”, hailing him as “an intelligent and resourceful Palestinian leader”.
“He was successful and left the lessons of resistance, sacrifice, patience, tolerance, struggle and practical sacrifice to his followers,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.