Ismail Haniyeh, the political chairman of Hamas—a U.S.-designated terrorist group—was killed in a strike in the room where he was staying in Tehran on July 31, Hamas and Iranian officials have confirmed.
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Iran, Israel Each Press UN to Condemn the Other After Airstrikes
Iran and Israel each pressed the U.N. Security Council to condemn the other after airstrikes killed two anti-Israel terrorist leaders in Iran and Lebanon and raised concerns that a regional war could erupt.
But the U.N.’s most powerful body issued no collective message after Wednesday’s emergency meeting. The 15 members variously warned that the Middle East was at a precarious point, worried about potential escalation, called for restraint and diplomacy, and pointed fingers along longstanding fault lines.
Iran blames Israel for the killings of Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran and of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. Israel acknowledges the Lebanon strike, saying the target was behind a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 young people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but Israel has been silent on Haniyeh’s death.
Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani urged the council to hold Israel accountable and consider sanctions. He underscored that his country reserved the right to “respond decisively to this terrorist and criminal act” when “necessary and appropriate.”
Israeli Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Miller exhorted the council to condemn Iran and increase sanctions on a country he called “the engine driving the machinery of death and destruction” through support for such groups as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Lebanese Ambassador Hadi Hachem accused Israel of trying to kindle a region-wide conflict. He implored the council “to take a firm stand before it is too late.”
UN Holds Emergency Meeting
The U.N. Security Council is holding an emergency meeting after a set of airstrikes hours apart killed two anti-Israel terrorist leaders in the Middle East, raising concerns that a regional war could erupt.
The killings of Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran and of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon have stirred a diplomatic scramble at the U.N. and elsewhere to try to contain the complex, mounting tensions in the region.
“The various attacks over the past few days represent a serious and dangerous escalation,” U.N. Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said as the council meeting began Wednesday. She called for diplomatic efforts “to change the trajectory and seek a path toward regional peace and stability.”
It appears unlikely that the Security Council can coalesce around any joint message on the airstrikes. The United States, a key ally of Israel, and Russia, which has close ties with Iran, are both council members with veto power.
White House: Escalation Not Imminent
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said that there are “no signs that an escalation is imminent” in the aftermath of Haniyeh’s death.
However, he said that the Biden administration is “obviously concerned” about an escalation.
Iran has vowed to retaliate.
“The response to an assassination will indeed be special operations—harder and intended to instill deep regret in the perpetrator,” posted Iran’s mission to the United Nations on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against any retaliation against Israel, and avoided addressing Haniyeh’s death.
He said that Israel “will exact a heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.”
President Joe Biden was briefed on reports coming out of the Middle East, according to Kirby.
Kirby also said that it is “too soon to know” what impact Haniyeh’s death will have on negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. He noted that the administration is in touch with Qatar and Egypt, which have acted as intermediaries for the United States and Israel in dealing with Hamas.
Hezbollah Confirms Fuad Shukr Killed in Beirut Strike
Hezbollah confirmed on Wednesday that its senior commander, Fuad Shukr, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut a day earlier.
Lebanese authorities had been searching through the rubble of the targeted residential building since the Tuesday airstrike.
Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, said its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, will speak at Shukr’s funeral procession on Aug. 1.
Lebanon’s public health ministry reported that two women and two children were killed in the Tuesday blast that killed Shukr.
The United States had considered Shukr to be a commander that played a key role in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings in which 241 U.S. military personnel were killed.
Israel said Shukr was also responsible for the deadly July 27 blast in Majdal Shams, in the Golan Heights in Israel. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the blast, in which 12 children were killed and dozens more were wounded.
US Raises Lebanon’s Travel Advisory
The U.S. State Department is raising Lebanon’s travel advisory, calling on its citizens to no visit the country.
Wednesday’s announcement comes a day after an Israeli drone strike killed a top Hezbollah commander in a rare Beirut strike shortly followed by a strike in Iran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Politicians and diplomats fear that Hezbollah and Iran’s retaliatory strikes could spark an all-out war away from the delicate rules of engagement that limited strikes to mostly areas near the Lebanon-Israel border.
Since Hezbollah and Israeli troops started clashing on Oct. 8, the United States has urged its citizens to reconsider traveling to the tiny Mediterranean country.
Netanyahu Says Israel Will Exact Heavy Price for Revenge Attacks
Israel will respond forcefully to any attack on it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and of a senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut.
Netanyahu said Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran’s proxies over the past few days, including Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist groups. But he did not mention Haniyeh’s killing, which has drawn threats of revenge on Israel and fueled further concern that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war.
“Citizens of Israel, challenging days lie ahead. Since the strike in Beirut there are threats sounding from all directions. We are prepared for any scenario and we will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement.
Israel’s military announced late on Tuesday it had killed Fuad Shukr, whom it named as Hezbollah’s most senior commander and whom it blamed for an attack at the weekend that left a dozen youngsters dead in Golan Heights.
Shukr was an adviser to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, according to Hezbollah sources and to Israeli officials.
Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed his death on Wednesday, hours after the Palestinian armed group Hamas announced its leader, Haniyeh, had been assassinated in Teheran.
Although the Tehran attack was widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, Netanyahu’s government made no claim of responsibility and said it would make no comment on Haniyeh’s killing.
UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting
The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday after an airstrike killed Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran, and the U.N.’s top leader is pressing world nations to come together quickly to keep Mideast tensions from boiling over.
Secretary-General António Guterres sees the strike in Tehran and another in the Lebanese capital of Beirut as “a dangerous escalation,” spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said at a briefing.
He reiterated calls for de-escalation and said Guterres is urging the international community “to work together to urgently prevent any actions that could push the Middle East over the edge, with a devastating impact on civilians.”
The Security Council meeting was scheduled after Iran pressed the U.N.’s most powerful body to address “Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks.”
Iran Asks UN Security Council for an Emergency Meeting
Iran is asking the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to address “Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks” after the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran and the targeting of a top Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital.
Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani in a letter on Wednesday blamed both strikes on Israel. He and said they “suggest an intention to escalate conflict and expand the war through the entire region.” He called on the international community for “decisive action to address these violations and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
Israel has taken responsibility for the strike in Beirut, saying it killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur. But Israel has been silent about the strike that killed Haniyeh, though it had vowed to kill him and other Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
There is no immediate response to Iran’s request from Russia, which currently holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency.
Lebanon Says Civilian Death Toll from Strike in Beirut Is Now 5
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the death toll of an Israeli attack on Tuesday in southern Beirut has risen to five civilians.
Israel said the attack targeted top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, who it blamed for the weekend rocket attack that killed 12 youths in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Hezbollah said Shukur was in the targeted building, but civil defense workers were still searching for him under the rubble. The five civilians killed were two children and three women. Many more were wounded.
Hamas’ Military Wing Claims Attacks in Hebron as Retaliation
Hamas’ military wing says the West Bank city of Hebron will remain a “focal point” for its activities after announcing two attacks near the southern city that it called retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
According to the Israeli army, a terrorist in a car opened fire at an Israeli citizen northeast of Hebron before leaving the vehicle and stabbing the person, who was taken to a hospital. The attacker remains at large, the army said.
The Hebron branch of the Hamas military wing said another attack took place near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the heart of the city. The Israeli army said it had no information on that.
Violence across the occupied West Bank has flared since the Israel–Hamas war erupted in October.
Israel Says It Is ‘Not Interested in an All-out War’
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has sent a letter to dozens of foreign ministries around the world saying that “Israel is not interested in an all-out war, but the only way to prevent it is the immediate implementation of [United Nations Security Council] Resolution 1701.” That resolution calls for a full cessation of hostilities along the Israel–Lebanon border and a demilitarized zone.
Katz writes that with Israel’s killing of a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah on Beirut on Tuesday, “Israel sent a clear message: we will harm with great force whoever harms us.”
Israel has kept silent on the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in the Iranian capital, which Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.
Blinken Urges Mediator Qatar to Keep Working toward a Gaza Cease-fire
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with the prime minister of Qatar, a key mediator in cease-fire talks for Gaza. The State Department says Blinken “emphasized the importance of continuing to work to reach a cease-fire to the conflict in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and unlock the possibility of broader stability.”
Blinken also said the U.S. would keep working to ensure a deal is reached in the 10-month war.
Concerns about cease-fire negotiations have soared in the hours after the killing of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas has blamed Israel and could pull out of the negotiations. Hamas’ top political officials were previously based in Qatar.
Blinken Says US Didn’t Know in Advance
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States had not been aware of and had no involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Both Hamas and Iran have blamed it on Israel.
Blinken declined to speculate on the impact Haniyeh’s death would have on efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. But he said the incident made it more important to reach a deal to ease the suffering of civilians, free hostages held by Hamas and prevent the conflict from escalating.
“First, this is something we were not aware of or involved in,” Blinken said in an interview with Channel News Asia, according to a transcript provided by the State Department. “I’ve learned over many years never to speculate on the impact that an event has had on something else. So I can’t tell you what this means,” Blinken added.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei Vows Revenge against Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday vowed revenge on Israel over the killing of Hamas’ political chief.
Khamenei said Israel “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” after Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Tehran.
“We consider his revenge as our duty,” Khamenei said in a statement on his official website, saying Haniyeh was ”a dear guest in our home.”
Lebanon Raises Death Toll to 4 Civilians
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday that the death toll of an Israeli attack in southern Beirut rose to four civilians, as the United Nations expressed concern of further escalation.
Israel said the attack Wednesday targeted top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukur, who they accused of launching a rocket on Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights that killed 12 youths.
Hezbollah said that Shukur was in the targeted building during the Israeli strike, but civil defense workers were still searching for him under the rubble. The four killed included two children and two women, and many more were wounded.
The strike hit deep into Lebanon, near the capital, stoking fears of the tense skirmishes turning into an all-out war and sparking regional conflict. Residents in the Beirut southern suburb of Haret Hreik told The Associated Press that they heard two strikes that they suspected was a drone attack.
A delegation of Lebanese government ministers visited the site of the attack Thursday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressed “grave concern” over the strikes in the densely populated neighborhood.
“As we await further clarity on the circumstances, we again urge the parties to exercise maximum restraint and call on all concerned to avoid any further escalation,” said Dujarric.
Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire along the tense Lebanon-Israel border almost daily since the latest Israel-Hamas war began.
Iran’s President Condemns Haniyeh’s Killing, which Took Place Hours after Pezeshkian Was Sworn In
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
He said in a post on the X platform that his country will defend its territorial integrity and make those responsible regret their actions. He ended the post with a Quran verse, saying “The God is all powerful and capable of revenge.”
Hamas has blamed Israel, which has declined to comment.
Haniyeh attended the Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, along with other Hamas officials and officials from Hezbollah and allied groups.
Videos showed that after the ceremony, Pezeshkian hugged Haniyeh and raised his hand while they were laughing.
Regional Allies of Hamas Issue Condolences after Haniyeh’s Killing
Hamas’ regional allies issued condolences and statements of defiance Wednesday in response to the killing of the group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an alleged Israeli strike in Iran.
The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah called Haniyeh a “great and honest leader and dear brother” and extended condolences to his family “who have offered dozens of martyrs from among their men and women on the path to liberating Jerusalem and Palestine.”
Yemen’s Houthi rebels called Haniyeh’s assassination a “major escalation and a greater transgression, and a blatant violation of all international laws, norms and covenants” and said the group is “determined to stand by Hamas and all resistance factions in confronting the American-backed Zionist rampage.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller terrorist group that has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, said that the “sinful assassination” will “not deter our people from continuing the resistance to put an end to the Zionist criminality that has crossed all limits.”
It remains unclear how Hamas’ allies in the region will respond to the killing, as well as to a separate Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday that appears to have killed a top Hezbollah commander.
‘I don’t Think That War Is Inevitable,’ US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Says
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that even with the events of the past 24 hours, Washington hoped that Israel would be able to come to a diplomatic solution and deescalate the situation.
“I don’t think that war is inevitable,” he told reporters in Manila, Philippines. “I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunity for diplomacy, and I’d like to see parties pursue those opportunities.”
He added, however, that the United States has for some time been looking at events on Israel’s border with Lebanon with “concern.”
“Again, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning into a broader conflict throughout the region.”
Asked what the U.S. would do if the conflict did escalate into a wider war, Austin reiterated his comments from the previous day that “if Israel is attacked, we certainly will help defend Israel.”
“You saw us do that in April, you can expect to see us do that again,” he said. “But we don’t want to see any of that happen. We’re going to work hard to make sure that … we’re doing things to help take the temperature down and address the issues through diplomatic means.”
Hezbollah Says They Are Still Searching for the Body of Commander Targeted in Israeli Strike
The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah said Wednesday they were still searching for the body of a top commander targeted in an Israeli strike in Beirut.
The Iran-backed group’s first comment after the strike targeting Fouad Shukur came hours after his death Tuesday and followed the overnight strike in Tehran that killed Haniyeh. Hezbollah did not comment about the Hamas leader’s death.
Israel claimed late Tuesday that they had killed Shukur, who they said was behind a rocket attack on Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 youths.
Hezbollah said civil defense workers were still searching for his body and others under the rubble of the building Israel struck.
Like most of Hezbollah’s military officials, little is known about Shukur, who was also known as Sayed Mohsen. Washington blames him for planning and staging the truck bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service members in 1983.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said that at least two children and a woman were killed in the attack, while 74 others were wounded.
Apparent Assassination of Hamas Leader Comes at a Precarious Time for Biden
The apparent assassination comes at a precarious time, as U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has tried to push Hamas and Israel to agree to at least a temporary cease-fire and hostage release deal.
CIA Director Bill Burns was in Rome on Sunday to meet with senior officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt in the latest round of talks. Separately, Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the region for talks with U.S. partners.
There was no immediate reaction to the reports of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination from the White House.
Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Was Assassinated in Tehran, Iran Says
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said early Wednesday.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the assassination but suspicion immediately fell on Israel, which has vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders of Hamas over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.
Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. Iran gave no details on how Haniyeh was killed, and the Guard said the attack was under investigation.
Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and had lived in exile in Qatar. The top Hamas leader in Gaza is Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the Oct. 7 attack.
Analysts on Iranian state television immediately began blaming Israel for the attack.
Israel itself did not immediately comment but it often doesn’t when it comes to assassinations carried out by their Mossad intelligence agency.
Ryan Morgan, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.