Israeli Defense Minister Acknowledges Assassination of Hamas Leader Haniyeh in Tehran
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Jerusalem, Dec 24 (NationPress) Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz has publicly acknowledged for the first time that the nation executed the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the capital of Iran, Tehran.
During a gathering at the Defense Ministry, Katz also issued a stern warning to the Houthi forces in Yemen following their recent drone attack earlier on Monday, which the Israeli military reported was successfully intercepted by its air defense systems.
"We will hit the Houthis decisively, targeting their key infrastructure, and eliminate their leaders -- just as we did with Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon," Katz stated.
Haniyeh was killed on July 31 in Tehran during a strike. Both Hamas and Iran accused Israel of executing the assassination, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
According to a statement from the IRGC's official news outlet, Sepah News, Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed when their residence was hit in Tehran. The statement indicated that the incident is under investigation, and the findings will be disclosed later.
A report from July 31 by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency indicated that Haniyeh was assassinated around 2:00 a.m. local time after his residence in Tehran was struck by a 'projectile.' The Islamic Hamas movement confirmed the death of its leader, stating that Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli attack within Iran.
In a press release, Hamas expressed its sorrow, stating that it "mourns to the Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the free individuals of the world" following the loss of Haniyeh, who had been in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 30. Haniyeh was also expected to discuss with the Iranian president the political and field developments related to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military has previously claimed credit for the deaths of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahieh.
