What we’re covering
- Hamas said its political leader leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran, a major development that throws the region into an unpredictable and dangerous new phase.
- Haniyeh was the second leader of an Iran-backed group assassinated in the past day, following the killing by Isreal of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed wavenge Haniyeh’s death. “You killed our dear guest in our house and now have paved the way for your harsh punishment,” he said, referring to Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was “not aware of or involved in “ the killing of Haniyeh.
- Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind the Haniyeh assassination. However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, referring to the Beirut attack, said Isreal did not seek war but was “preparing for all possibilities.”
