OAN Staff James Meyers
8:25 AM – Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran by an Israeli airstrike carried out early Wednesday and Iran has stated they will claim their revenge against Israel, according to the terrorist organization.
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Haniyeh, who is one of the terrorist organizations senior officials, was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president when the leader was killed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced.
The Revolutionary Guard did not comment on the death of Haniyeh, but Hamas blamed it on Israel, stating that its leader was killed “in a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran’s new president.”
“Hamas declares to the great Palestinian people and the people of the Arab and Islamic nations and all the free people of the world, brother leader Ismail Haniyeh a martyr,” the brief statement read.
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge against Israel for the airstrike.
“We consider his revenge as our duty,” Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement on his official website. He said Israel had “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” by killing “a dear guest in our home.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said Haniyeh was killed at his Tehran residence.
“Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his body guards’ martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon,” the Revolutionary Guard said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Haniyeh’s death a “cowardly act and dangerous development.”
Additionally, Russia and Iran have both condemned the “unacceptable political assassination” of the Hamas leader.
“This is all very wrong,” stated Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, according to CNN. “This is an absolutely unacceptable political assassination, and it will lead to further escalation of tension.”
The death of Haniyeh comes after Israel carried out an airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on Tuesday evening, which killed a top Hezbollah commander who was behind the rocket strike.
Hezbollah denied any participation in the Golan strike that killed 12 children last weekend and said Wednesday that it was still searching for the body of Fouad Shukur after Israel’s airstrike.
Up to this point, nobody has come forward to claim responsibility for the killing of the Hamas leader, but Israel has stated in the past they will eliminate all Hamas leaders after the October 7th attack on the Jewish state that left 1,200 people dead and 250 kidnapped.
After being asked about Haniyeh’s killing during a visit to Singapore, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “This is something we were not aware of or involved in.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he doesn’t think that “war is inevitable.”
“I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunities for diplomacy,” Austin told reporters in the Philippines on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning into a broader conflict throughout the region.”
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