Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination wasn’t related to the United States, according to the US Secretary of State. Haniyeh was murdered in Tehran on Wednesday in what seemed to be a terrorist strike. While traveling through many countries in the Indo-Pacific, Antony Blinken informed the local media that Washington was neither informed of nor complicit in the assassination.
Blinken reaffirmed his encouragement for an agreement between Israel and Hamas on a truce and a return of hostages to Israel while attending another ceremony on in Singapore. He stated of an agreement that it sincerely serves the moving of things in the right direction. “We’ll keep working at that every day.”
It was impossible to predict, Blinken continued, if Haniyeh’s murder would make a possible agreement and hostage-release agreement harder. Israeli official evaded form providing any response on Haniyeh’s assassination. Haniyeh resided in Qatar following a forced exile during recent years. He had just arrived in Tehran, the capital of Iran, to attend the presidential inauguration, which he did on Tuesday, when a projectile, as reported by Iranian sources, hit his residence. Tehran and Hamas have promised retaliation after blaming Israel for Haniyeh’s murder.
Israel attacking Iranian territory is not unprecedented, while Israeli authorities know that it would probably lead to a potential confrontation on a new front. The assassination might trigger intense battles between Israel and proxies backed by Tehran throughout the region.
The 2020 deaths of Iranian scientists on Iranian land are thought to have been orchestrated by Israel. After Tehran launched a huge drone and missile attack on Israel three months ago, in response to the Damascus consulate strike by Israel, Israeli military conducted a limited offensive within Iranian borders.
Israel Assassination Campaign
The Haniyeh attack occurred barely twenty-four hours after Tel Aviv allegedly struck and killed Hezbollah’s senior military leader in Lebanese capital. It was purportedly in retaliation for the Lebanese paramilitary group’s missile attack that claimed the lives of twelve a few days ago.
There is growing concern that Israel and Hezbollah, who’ve been exchanging attacks across borders for the past ten months or more, are about to a full-fledged conflict. The achievement of a cease-fire in Gaza, where over 39,000 Palestinian people have lost their lives in combat, may not hinder ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, threatening regional stability.
In an effort to remove the organization’s main commander in the wake of the fatal Hamas strikes on October 7, Israeli troops have assassinated a number of senior Hamas figures.
Israel’s indirect refusal to claim responsibility on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh by avoiding the comment on the attack may not diminish the chances of the instigation of a new conflict in the region. For Israel, battling in various fronts simultaneously and facing the international criticism for its conducts in Gaza, facing a fresh threat from Iran would be a hard game to play.
