BEIRUT: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Wednesday, Iran and the militant group said, blaming Israel for a shock assassination that risks escalating the conflict even as the U.S. And other nations were scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war. Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge against Israel.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has pledged to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage. The strike came just after Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran — and only hours after Israel targeted a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
DEPUTY RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MIKHAIL BOGDANOV:
“This is an absolutely unacceptable political murder, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions.” MOHAMMED ALI AL-HOUTHI, HEAD OF YEMEN’S HOUTHI SUPREME REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE: “Targeting Ismail Haniyeh is a heinous terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws and ideal values.”
SAMI ABU ZUHRI, SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL: “This assassination by the Israeli occupation of Brother Haniyeh is a grave escalation that aims to break the will of Hamas and the will of our people and achieve fake goals. We confirm that this escalation will fail to achieve its objectives.
“Hamas is a concept and an institution and not persons. Hamas will continue on this path regardless of the sacrifices and we are confident of victory.” TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY: “We offer our condolences to the Palestinian people who have given hundreds of thousands of martyrs like Haniyeh in order to live in peace in their own homeland, under the roof of their own state.
“It has been revealed once again that the Netanyahu Government has no intention of achieving peace.
“This attack also aims to spread the war in Gaza to a regional level. If the international community does not take action to stop Israel, our region will face much greater conflicts.”
MALAYSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: “Malaysia unequivocally condemns all acts of violence, including targeted assassination, and urges all peace-loving nations to join in denouncing such acts.
“The incident underscores the urgent need for de-escalation and reinforces the necessity for all parties to engage in constructive dialogue and pursue peaceful resolutions.”
AREEPEN UTTARASIN, VETERAN THAI POLITICIAN AND FORMER GAZA HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR:
“The assassination is very serious because it occurred in Iran. It shows that Hamas’s opponents can strike any where. Assassinating the Hamas leader will make negotiations and de-escalation more difficult. Things will become more violent and the situation will worsen, it will not improve.”

  Gaza, Palestine

Agencies