Political leader of Hamas assassinated in Tehran
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Russia Sends Escalation Warning After Death of Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh
Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov has warned the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran was unacceptable and will lead to an escalation of violence.
Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli raid early Wednesday in Tehran, according to the Palestinian militant group. Israel has yet to comment.
Israel has previously vowed to eliminate Hamas' leaders following the attack by the group on southern Israel on October 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and at least 250 were kidnapped. The ensuing war in Gaza has left at least 39,000 people dead according to Hamas-run health authorities there.
Bogdanov said Tuesday: "This is all very bad. This is an absolutely unacceptable political assassination, and it will lead to a further escalation of tensions," state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
The agency also reported that Bogdanov had said Haniyeh's "murder" will have a negative impact on ceasefire and hostage release negotiations in Doha.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that "the organizers of this political assassination were aware of the dangerous consequences this action could have for the entire region."
Hamas said in a statement that Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, before he was killed in a raid on his residence in Tehran. Iranian media reported that Haniyeh had been staying at a building for war veterans when the attack occurred around 2 a.m. local time. Some reports suggested he had been killed in an airstrike.
Russia has not classified Hamas as a terrorist group. Officials from the Palestinian movement, including Haniyeh, have held meetings with Russian officials in Moscow in recent years. Hamas is viewed as a terrorist group by several countries, including the U.S. and many of its allies.
Bogdanov's comments come amid anticipation over what Iran will do next given that the Islamic republic would be considered a safe haven for Hamas officials. "Escalation is bounded by what Iran has the means to do," said Andrew Fox, defense analyst and a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a London think tank.
"Iran's direct capability is very poor, which is why they are so keen on gaining nuclear weapons and why they use proxies around the Middle East," he told Newsweek. "Their options are also limited by the need to keep the U.S. and NATO allies out of the fight."
"The most dangerous option is a swift push for nuclear capability and using it, but this is unlikely. I expect to see possibly a brief surge in increased rocket attacks on Israel from Iranian proxies around the region followed by a return to the rate of rocket attacks we have seen since October 7."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Israel has "prepared the ground for a harsh punishment for itself. Meanwhile, Turkey's foreign ministry condemned Israeli prime minister in its statement which said, "once again it becomes clear that the Netanyahu government has no intention of reaching peace."
Jordan said it condemns "in the strongest terms Israel's assassination" of the Hamas leader and warned of "more tension and chaos in the region." China's foreign ministry said it "resolutely opposes and condemns the assassination" and is "deeply concerned" about more turbulence in the region.
BREAKING OVERNIGHT: Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, has been killed in Tehran along with his bodyguard, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said.
The Israeli Government Press Office posted a photo of Haniyeh with the word "eliminated" over the Hamas political leader's head. The post, which had been live for more than an hour, was then removed Wednesday morning.
Read more: https://abcnews.visitlink.me/030_eH
The Israeli Government Press Office posted a photo of Haniyeh with the word "eliminated" over the Hamas political leader's head. The post, which had been live for more than an hour, was then removed Wednesday morning.
Read more: https://abcnews.visitlink.me/030_eH
Stillwater Townie
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If nuclear arms go off, I wonder if it will be over the Israel war or the Ukraine war.
Hamas chief killed by bomb smuggled into his Tehran room ‘months ago’
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated by a bomb secretly smuggled into a Tehran compound where he was staying two months ago, official sources have revealed.The explosive device was then reportedly detonated remotely on Wednesday once Haniyeh was confirmed as inside, Middle Eastern officials told The New York Times.
Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards briefed on the incident, also confirmed this to the outlet, describing how the blast shook the heavily-guarded building and shattered the windows.
Haniyeh, the top Hamas leader outside of Gaza and the face of the terror group’s international diplomacy, had stayed at the guesthouse several times in the past, the officials said.
Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing, sparking promises of “severe” revenge and dragging the Middle East closer to a full-blown regional war.
Hezbollah believed US diplomacy would prevent Israel’s attack on Beirut
Hezbollah did not clear its sensitive sites or evacuate top officials in Beirut before this week’s attack by Israel as it believed US-led diplomacy would keep Israel from striking the area, sources have revealed.The Lebanese militant group thought Israel would not hit the its heartlands in the southern suburbs as it believed Israeli forces would adhere to unofficial red lines, security sources close to Hezbollah and diplomats said.
That understanding was shattered on Tuesday when an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh killed Hezbollah’s top military commander, an Iranian military adviser and five civilians.
Lebanese officials and Hezbollah now question whether diplomatic assurances had been relayed to the group accurately.
“We were not expecting them to hit Beirut and they hit Beirut,” Lebanon’s foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said.
Taliban official accuses Iran of Haniyeh’s assassination
A Taliban official has accused Iran of orchestrating the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.Hamid Khorasani, a commander of the Taliban’s suicide squad in Afghanistan, made the claim in a video statement on Wednesday.
Surrounded by heavily armed suicide forces, Khorasani said, “Israel and Iran are two sides of one coin,” suggesting a highly unlikely collaboration between the two long-standing enemies.
The Taliban commander didn’t mince words in his criticism of Iran’s leadership. “Iran’s brutal and oppressive regime and God damn Khamenei have hands in these targeted killings,” Khorasani said, directly implicating Iran’s supreme leader in the assassination.
These accusations stand in contrast to the official stance of the Taliban leadership.
In their official statement, the Taliban condemned the assassination of Haniyeh, describing him as “the distinguished, wise, and resolute Palestinian leader.”
The statement continued: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regards defending Hamas and the sacred land of Palestine as both an Islamic and humanitarian duty.”
That is hilarious
HAARETZ: “Executives from Israel's far-right Channel 14 told hostage families that a deal to release their loved ones won't happen because it would bring down Netanyahu's government” https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news...mps-deal/00000191-bd90-dffe-abf9-bdff65c90000
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