Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by what the terrorist group said was an airstrike carried out by Israel early Wednesday morning.
Haniyeh, who is one of the most senior Hamas officials, was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president when he was killed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced.
The Revolutionary Guards did not comment on how or who killed Haniyeh, but Hamas pointed the finger at Israel, stating the leader was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in 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 Ismail Haniyeh a martyr,” the brief statement read.
Israel has not commented on Haniyeh’s death.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said Haniyeh was killed at his Tehran residence.
“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” the Revolutionary Guards said.
So far, no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the killing, though Israel has vowed to eliminate Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the terror group’s Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state where 1,200 people were slaughtered and 250 were kidnapped.
Haniyeh departed the Gaza Strip in 2019 and he had since lived in Qatar.
The top Hamas leader in Gaza is Yehya Sinwar, who was the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack and is believed to be living in the terror group’s vast tunnel system.
There was no immediate reaction from the White House.
The deadly airstrike comes at a delicate time as the Biden administration works to orchestrate a deal between Hamas and Israel that would end the fighting – at least temporarily – and free remaining hostages in the Palestinian enclave.
CIA Director Bill Burns was in Rome on Sunday to meet with senior Israel, Qatari and Egyptian officials for the latest rounds of discussions while separately White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, is in the region for talks with US partners.
The Middle East has been rocked with violence since Hamas’ sneak assault last October, resulting in Israel launching a devastating military campaign in Gaza.
An Israeli airstrike killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren in April.
An analyst close to Hamas, Ibrahim Madhoun, said the killing was a “major blow” to the group, but would not conquer it, according to the New York Times.
The death comes less than 24 hours after Israel killed the Hezbollah commander it said was behind a deadly strike in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday.
“This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
With Post wires
