ISMAIL HANIYEH, THỦ LÃNH HAMAS BỊ DO THÁI KHÔNG KÍCH CHẾT TẠI IRAN VÀO SÁNG SỚM 31-7-24./-Mt68

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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in raid on Iran residence, says Palestinian group 

The death of the political leader of the Palestinian militant group came hours after Israel claimed it killed Hezbollah’s top military commander in Beirut Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has been killed by an airstrike in Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the group said, just hours after Israel claimed it had killed a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, which one official described as a “grave escalation”. It said he was targeted at “his residence in Tehran, after participating in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president”.

The dual assassinations are heavy blows to Hamas and Hezbollah, but also raise the stakes for Iran, which backs both groups. They will fuel growing fears that the war in Gaza could spiral into a broader regional conflict.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran: what we know so far

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Iran’s top security council met early on Wednesday to discuss the country’s response to the killing, Reuters reported.

The Israeli military declined to comment on Haniyeh’s death. Israel has vowed to kill all Hamas leaders after the 7 October attacks and its intelligence services have a history of covert attacks inside Iran, mostly targeting scientists from the Iranian nuclear programme.

Haniyeh’s killing was “a grave escalation that will not achieve its goals”, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Hamas has survived past assassinations of its top leaders, including Haniyeh’s mentor Ahmed Yassin in 2004, and Haniyeh did not command operations on the ground in Gaza, after leaving for exile in 2019.

Hamas fighters inside Gaza are led by Yahya Sinwar, thought to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks that killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage./-