Israel Strikes Tehran, Hamas Political Leader Killed
Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a guided missile targeting his residence in the Iranian capital
Israel struck Tehran just a day after the inauguration of new President Massoud Pezeshkian and killed Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political office. The missile was aimed at his home in Tehran at 2 o’clock in the morning. This was reported by Mayadeen, a Lebanese media outlet affiliated with Hezbollah, which spoke of “a missile launched into Iran by another country.”
An action that inexorably postpones the already difficult processes to reach a truce in Gaza, as emphasized by the Iranian media, which explains that this is the thesis supported by Supreme Leader Khamenei and the Tehran government. The word from the capital was given that in the coming hours it would be decided how to respond to the act. President Masoud Pezeshkian entrusted his commentary to X social network: “The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, its honor, and make the terrorist invaders regret their cowardly actions. The bond between the two proud peoples of Iran and Palestine will be stronger than before, and the path of resistance and defense of the oppressed will run stronger than ever.”
The reaction from the Arab world is outrage, starting with Palestinian President Abu Mazen, who considers it “a cowardly act and a dangerous development. The Palestinian people and popular forces must unite and show patience and firmness in the face of Israeli occupation,” while the Houthis defined the action as “a terrorist crime and a blatant violation of laws and ideal values.”
From Turkey came a comment by Numan Kurtulmus, president of the Turkish parliament, who, according to a report by Anadolu Agency, explained that “Ismail Haniyeh became a martyr because of a cowardly attack by the Zionist government of Israel, an enemy of humanity and a mass murderer. May God have mercy on him,” while Erdogan adviser Cemil Ertem said Haniyeh’s death “leads to the destruction of Israel.”
Criticism has also come from China: the foreign ministry condemned the incident, explaining that the event could lead to further regional instability. For Russia, this is “an absolutely unacceptable political assassination that threatens further escalation in the region.” These are the words of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, RIA Novosti reports.
Haniyeh was prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), then administrative head of Gaza from 2014 to 2017, and then he was head of Hamas’ political office from 2017.