Early Wednesday morning, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, according to a statement by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. This incident has escalated tensions in the region, with immediate suspicion falling on Israel, which had previously vowed retribution against Hamas leadership for their involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel.

The attack on October 7, attributed to Hamas, resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of approximately 250 others, prompting a pledge from Israel to target key figures within the organization.

In the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is internationally recognized, condemned the assassination of Haniyeh. Abbas labeled the killing a “cowardly act and dangerous development.” The incident has also provoked strong reactions from various political factions within the occupied territory, who have called for strikes to protest the assassination.

Hamas senior official Moussa Abu Marzouk, speaking to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, vowed retaliation for Haniyeh’s death, describing the assassination as a cowardly act. Hamas, in an official statement, announced that Haniyeh was killed in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran shortly after attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president.

“Hamas declares to the great Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world, brother leader Ismail Haniyeh a martyr,” the statement read.

The assassination marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, further complicating an already volatile situation in the region. The international community is closely monitoring the developments, with concerns about potential reprisals and the broader implications for Middle Eastern stability.

Credit: AP