The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, that Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed by a missile launched from a country outside Iran, and not from Iranian airspace.
This statement is the first official comment from the Israeli side, particularly addressing the nature of the attack on Haniyeh.
Iranian media had reported that Haniyeh was assassinated around 2 a.m. Wednesday and added that he was staying at a veterans’ residence in northern Tehran.
Iranian state media said, “Further investigations are underway and will be announced soon.”
Iran’s Angry Reactions:
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani commented on the assassination of Hamas’ political bureau chief: “Haniyeh’s blood will not be shed in vain.”
Iranian state media quoted Kanaani as saying, “Haniyeh’s martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen and deepen the close connection between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance.”
At the same time, an Iranian source told Reuters that the Supreme National Security Council of Iran held a meeting with senior Revolutionary Guard leaders early Wednesday morning to discuss Haniyeh’s assassination.
The source indicated that Iran’s highest security body would decide on Iran’s strategy in response to Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.
Nournews, a website affiliated with the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, considered Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran a “dangerous gamble to undermine Tehran’s deterrence.”
Hamas: The Occupation Shot Itself
Palestinian Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri stated that Israel “has shot itself, not (Hamas’ political bureau chief) Ismail Haniyeh.”
Following the assassination, Abu Zuhri said, “This occupation must realize that it has shot itself, not Ismail Haniyeh,” according to Anadolu Agency.
He continued: “The occupation wants to break the will of the movement and the Palestinian people, but Hamas is an idea, and the martyrdom of its leaders does not stop this idea.”
He added: “Hamas grows stronger with every drop of blood shed for the freedom of this holy land, and the blood of leaders is not more precious than the blood of our children.”
Abu Zuhri noted that “this is a significant price, and we are ready to pay it for Jerusalem and liberation, and there is no end to this path except with the liberation of Jerusalem.”
He affirmed that “this assassination will not achieve the goals of the occupation and will not push Hamas to surrender. Hamas will continue on this path to the end, and these bloodshed will only make it more determined and resolute.”
