Israel Confirms Targeting of Hamas Leader Haniyeh in Tehran

In an unprecedented admission, Israeli officials confirm the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, while Prime Minister Netanyahu reveals progress towards a ceasefire with Hamas amidst escalating violence in Gaza and ongoing Houthi attacks.

 

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed for the first time that the Israeli military was responsible for the assassination of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last July. In a recent speech, Katz stated that Israel intends to target key figures of the Houthi movement in Yemen, which has been launching missile and drone attacks against Israel. Haniyeh's assassination has been widely associated with Israeli operations, occurring in a building he was occupying in the Iranian capital.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned in his address that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress, although he could not clarify a definitive timeline for reaching an agreement. This follows reports from a senior Palestinian official who indicated that discussions between Hamas and Israel were nearing completion but still faced significant unresolved issues.

In conjunction with these developments, Katz voiced a commitment to execute severe actions against Houthi leadership, drawing parallels to Israel's previous actions against Haniyeh and other leaders, such as Yahya Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah, who were killed in operations in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon earlier this year.

After Haniyeh's death, Hamas appointed Yahya Sinwar as its overall leader, but he too was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in October, prompting the group to initiate the process of selecting a new leader. In a separate incident, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut in September amid an intensification of Israeli military operations against Hezbollah following border confrontations that flared after Hamas’s attacks on Israel last October.

The Houthis, who control northwestern Yemen and are aligned with Iran, commenced attacks on Israeli and international vessels in the Red Sea as Israel began its military operations against Hamas. The Houthis have vowed to maintain these assaults until Israel concludes its military actions in Gaza. Israeli military officials have acknowledged unsuccessful attempts to intercept Houthi projectiles aimed at Israeli cities.

In a continuation of military strikes, Israel conducted operations on various Houthi military targets in Yemen, leading to a coalition of attacks involving U.S. and U.K. forces aimed at safeguarding international maritime routes.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening as the ongoing military campaign continues, claiming thousands of civilian lives according to reports from the Hamas-run health ministry. Recent strikes resulted in deaths within designated "safe zones," raising alarm among humanitarian organizations, which accuse Israel of systematic obstructions in delivering aid.

Oxfam reported a stark inadequacy in the provision of food and water to affected Gazans, attributing these shortages to deliberate delays orchestrated by the Israeli military. However, Israeli authorities reject these claims, asserting that humanitarian efforts have been made to deliver essential supplies to northern Gaza.

Officials from rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have characterized Israel's actions in Gaza as genocidal, sparking significant debate over the nature of the conflict and accountability for civilian casualties. The Israeli foreign ministry rebutted these allegations, labeling them as fabrications and reaffirming the integrity of their military operations in the region.