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Alameen Templeton
Apartheid Israel has murdered Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political bureau chief, in a missile strike on his home in Tehran.
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in Iran said the strike also killed one of his guards.
Al Mayadeen reports Hamas confirmed the martyrdom of the Hamas leader, describing his murder as a “treacherous Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran”.
Iran’s IRGC added: “We are studying the dimensions of the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, and will announce the results of the investigation later.”
Anadolou Agency reports Hamas said Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The Israeli army missile struck his residence in the capital after the ceremony.
Iran responded with more than 300 missiles after the last Israeli attack on a senior Iranian target. Israel is presently crossing its fingers – prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office has asked cabinet ministers not to discuss the Haniyeh assassination.
That may be a big ask for Israeli’s turbulent ministers, many of whom are at Netanyahu’s throat over the prosecution of soldiers who participated in a gang rape with a broom on a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman torture camp.
Hamas and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps had no hesitation in blaming Israel for the attack that killed Haniyeh.
Iran clerical leader Ali Khamenei in a statement promised ‘harsh punishment’ for Israel after Haniyeh’s killing.
“The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our house and made us bereaved, but it also prepared the ground for a harsh punishment for itself,” he said.
“We consider it our duty to avenge his blood in this bitter and difficult incident that happened in the territory of the Islamic Republic,” Khamenei added.
It was the second high-profile assassination attempt attributed to Israel in a matter of hours, after a strike in Beirut almost killed a senior Hezbollah commander, heightening fears that the region was sliding towards a full-blown war.
An Iranian source revealed to Al Mayadeen that the assassination “was carried out by a missile launched from one country to another, not from within Iran.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani confirmed that the relevant Iranian authorities are conducting “the necessary investigations to determine the dimensions and details of this incident.”
He said, “There is no doubt that the pure blood of this resistance fighter, who dedicated his life to resistance and honorable struggle against the usurping Zionist entity, and in the pursuit of liberating holy al-Quds and the Palestinian people, will not be in vain.”
Mojtaba Amani, Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, says Iran is still studying details related to the assassination of Haniyeh, Al Jazeera reports.
“On Iran’s position on the Haniyeh assassination – only a few hours have passed between now and the assassination. We need to follow up on many things – and we are not yet available to make a final decision,” Amani told reporters in Beirut.
“All political details, including yesterday’s attack in southern Beirut, are being discussed,” the diplomat said, referring to the Israeli strike in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital aimed at killing Hezbollah’s top commander Fuad Shukr. Israel claimed Shukr was dead, but this was denied by sources close to him.
Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk condemned the Haniyeh murder as a “cowardly act,” adding that “Hamas is an institution and an ideology that will not be affected by the assassination of any of its leaders.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the assassination, calling it “cowardly and dangerous.”
“I urge our people to unite, remain patient, and stand firm against the Israeli occupation,” he said, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Israeli authorities, however, continue to maintain their silence.
The White House said it had “seen reports” that Haniyeh had been killed in Iran.
An unnamed White House official in a statement to CNN did not give detailed information on the issue.
The Israeli army declined to comment on the attack.
An Israeli Army official, reached by phone by an Anadolu Agency correspondent, responded to the question, “Do you confirm that Haniyeh was killed in the Israeli attack in Tehran?” by saying, “We are not commenting on this issue.”
Israel’s far-right Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu could not constrain himself, despite the Netanyahu gag, and shared a post on his social media account regarding Haniyeh’s murder.
Claiming the assassination would bring peace, Eliyahu said, “Haniyye’s death will make the world more beautiful.”
He added: “No more imaginary peace/surrender agreements.”
Russia condemned the assassination , calling it an “unacceptable political murder” that will exacerbate regional tension.
“This is all very bad. This is an absolutely unacceptable political murder, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions,” Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russia’s state-run news agency, RIA Novosti.
What happened will have a significant negative impact on the Doha negotiations, Bogdanov warned.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed “deep sorrow” on Wednesday over the assassination .
“I learned with deep sadness that my dear brother Ismail Haniyeh was martyred in Iran,” Fidan said on X.
“We are witnesses to his recent efforts to achieve a cease-fire. Even when his family members were killed by Israel, he never lost his faith in peace,” Fidan said, conveying his condolences.
Describing Haniyeh as a “symbol” of Palestinian resistance, Fidan said the Hamas chief’s “noble memory will live on in the just cause of the Palestinian people.”
Haniyeh was often jeered at by the Israeli media for issuing statements from “the safety of Teheran”, but the distance did not shield him from the genocide’s brutality, taking the lives of three of his sons and four grandchildren.
On April 10, the Israeli army shot a vehicle carrying many of his family members as they went to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the Al-Shati Refugee Camp west of Gaza City.
Haniyeh, who lost her three sons and four grandchildren in the attack, said afterwards:”My children did not leave Gaza, but sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Abdul Salam Haniyeh said Wednesday his father’s killing would not end Palestinians’ resistance: “My father survived four assassination attempts during his patriotic journey, and today Allah has granted him the martyrdom that he always wished for,” the younger Haniyeh said. “He was very keen to establish national unity and strived for the unity of all Palestinian factions and we affirm that this assassination will not deter the resistance, which will fight until freedom is achieved.”
Shops across the West Bank are closed in mourning amid a general strike to protest Haniyeh’s murder.
Haniyeh was elected as the Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau by the Hamas Shura Council on May 6, 2017, replacing Khaled Meshaal.
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