Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, was murdered in Iran, raising fears of a larger war.
The murder, which Hamas and Iran said was Israel's fault and promised to avenge, has cast new doubt on the Gaza cease-fire negotiations and poses a potential to further destabilize the region.
Jerusalem — Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday. Iranian and Hamas officials blamed Israel for the heinous assassination, which sparked concerns of a larger regional conflict and derailed months-long negotiations to secure a cease-fire pact in the Gaza Strip.
Even while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed his government had delivered "crushing blows" to Hamas and Hezbollah in recent days, including a strike that killed the organization's top military officer on Tuesday in a Beirut suburb, Israeli officials refrained from commenting on the operation. Iran supports both factions.
Faced with tremendous international pressure to end his battle with Hamas in Gaza, Netanyahu declared in a televised speech that Israel would not stand for violence from any source. He stated, "Any aggression against us from any quarter will exact a hefty price from Israel."
The attack, a startling breach of security and intelligence, came as Haniyeh was in Tehran for the new president's inauguration. The veteran commander, who was born in Gaza, was struck "directly" by a missile at the state guesthouse where he was staying, according to senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, who made the announcement on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital of Iran, Hayya charged that Israel was targeting Iran and Lebanon with the intention of “setting the region on fire.” He stated that although Hamas and its allies do not desire a regional war, Haniyeh's passing, who was instrumental in mediating an end to the Gaza conflict, has delivered a clear message that "our only option with this enemy is blood and resistance."
Haniyeh was killed a few hours after Fuad Shukr, a key figure in Hezbollah, a militant Lebanese organization embroiled in a protracted war with Israel, was the target of an Israeli bombing near Beirut. On Wednesday, Hezbollah declared his death official. Twelve teenagers and children were killed over the weekend in a rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which the Israel Defense Forces attributed to Shukr.
The sequence of events, which began many months after Israel and Iran exchanged drone and missile attacks, put the region on the verge of a full-scale conflict and put pressure on the Iranian leadership to react. However, both parties could also need moderation. According to Israeli analysts, Israel anticipated that by showcasing its military and intelligence capabilities, the demonstration would outweigh the risk of escalation and allow it to launch an attack inside Tehran.
It's possible that Iran and Hezbollah, the most potent organization allied with Tehran, wish to prevent a full-scale conflict with Israel, a vital ally and military ally of the United States. Additionally, Washington might apply more sanctions, which would hurt Iran's already fragile economy even more.
The events, according to Yoel Guzansky, a former member of Israel's National Security Council who is currently a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, would likely send a strong message to Iran and its allies but would not likely change the region's power dynamics or Israel's conflict with Hamas.
He remarked, "It proves to them that they are not safe anywhere, not even in Tehran." "Israel is regaining some of its reputation for deterrence through this."
The United States, which is grappling with Iran and its allies in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, was quick to distance itself from Haniyeh’s assassination on Wednesday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration had no advance warning of the attack and played no role in it. “This is something we were not aware of and had no involvement in,” he said in a television interview in Singapore, without blaming Israel or anyone else.
Blinken declined to say what the strike might mean for months of ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, a deal that mediators hope will also secure the release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. The talks took place earlier this week in Rome, before the attacks in Beirut and Tehran.
“The best way to lower the temperature everywhere is to have a ceasefire,” Blinken said. “That’s why we have to continue to focus on a ceasefire.”
But the death of Haniyeh, who played a central role in the talks along with Yehiya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, threatened to derail the talks.
Haniyeh is “someone who sees the value in a deal and has been instrumental in some of the progress in the negotiations,” according to a diplomat briefed on recent ceasefire talks.
A further delay in the talks would be a blow to Gazan civilians and the families of Israeli hostages still held there. But it would likely be welcomed by Netanyahu, who has been accused of trying to slow down or derail the talks by making last-minute demands. The prime minister returned on Sunday from a trip to the United States, during which he was pressed at almost every turn to reach a deal with Hamas.
Netanyahu, in a speech Wednesday night, said he would not back down. He told the Israeli people that everything Israel had achieved in recent months, “we achieved because we did not give in, because we made courageous decisions despite strong internal and external pressure.” “And I tell you: it was not easy.”
The Israeli military, which did not comment on the strikes, has also ramped up its pressure on Hamas leaders to continue talks for the release of hostages while also ramping up efforts against Hamas infrastructure, including its tunnels and command centers.
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza targeted Hamas military assets and more tunnels on Wednesday.
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