Palestinian militant group Hamas has confirmed the death of its top leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran’s Tehran, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Hamas said in a statement that Haniyeh was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran”. He had attended the inauguration of Iran’s newly-elected president on Tuesday.
Haniyeh had been leading the Palestinian militant group’s political operations in recent years while in exile in Qatar and Turkey, The New York Times reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also confirmed the leader’s death on Wednesday. “Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his bodyguards’ martyrdom,” the group said in a statement. “The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon.”
News of Haniyeh’s death broke soon after Israel attacked at least 10 targets across seven locations in Lebanon’s Beirut in overnight attacks on Tuesday.
Israel said that Fouad Shukur, a top military commander of the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, had been killed in the strikes, reported AP. The militant group is yet to confirm Shukur’s death.
The attack also killed a woman and two children while injuring dozens of others.
Shukur had allegedly been directing Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 8. He was also responsible for a rocket attack that killed 12 persons in Israel-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday, Israel has claimed.
Hezbollah denied its involvement in the attack, AP reported.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces also claimed that Shukur was behind the killings of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the past several years.
Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily strikes for the past 10 months amid Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza, according to AP. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas.
Israel’s offensive against the besieged Palestinian enclave began on October 7 after Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 persons and taking over 200 hostages.
Since October, Israel has been carrying out unprecedented air and ground strikes on Gaza. The attacks have killed at least 39,916 persons, including over 15,000 children.
Iran vows revenge
After Haniyeh’s killing, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to take revenge against Israel.
“The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for a severe punishment,” Khamenei said in a social media post.
He added: “Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge.”
Khamenei offered his condolences to the people of Palestine and Haniyeh’s family.
He said that Haniyeh was “willing to sacrifice his honorable life in this dignified battle for many years”.
“He [Haniyeh] was prepared for martyrdom and had sacrificed his children and loved ones on this path,” said the Iranian leader.
Exercise caution, says Indian embassy in Beirut
On Monday, the Indian embassy in Beirut advised Indian citizens to exercise caution in light of escalating geopolitical tensions in the region. This came a day after Israel vowed to retaliate against Saturday’s rocket attack in Golan Heights, for which it held Hezbollah responsible.
The embassy also asked Indian nationals travelling to Lebanon to be in contact with it.
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