A funeral ceremony was held in Tehran on Thursday for Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, who was killed in a strike that Iran has blamed on Israel. The ceremony was marked by requires revenge in opposition to these accountable for his dying.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme chief, led the prayers for Haniyeh earlier than his burial in Qatar.
Driving the information
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme chief, led the prayers for Haniyeh earlier than his burial in Qatar.
Driving the information
- The assassination of Haniyeh in another country occurred as Israel has struggled to successfully goal Hamas’ senior management in Gaza, who’re regarded as the first orchestrators behind the assault on October 7.
- Israel has centered on Hamas operatives in Lebanon and Syria, however concentrating on Haniyeh in Iran was considerably extra delicate.
- In Haniyeh’s closing moments in Iran, the place he was an in depth ally of Hamas, he was seen smiling and applauding on the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.
- Images confirmed him seated alongside leaders from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group and Hezbollah, and Iranian media confirmed him and Pezeshkian hugging.
- Shortly thereafter, the assault struck a residence in Tehran utilized by Haniyeh, leading to his dying, in accordance with Hamas.
- As per Aljazeera, the constructing focused within the strike was believed to be a residence allotted for former members of the Iranian armed forces.
- Iranian officers reported that one among his bodyguards, recognized as Wasim Abu Shaaban, was additionally killed.
- Hamas official al-Hayya mentioned on Iranian state tv that Haniyeh was killed by a missile.
- Haniyeh’s dying is probably the most high-profile killing of a Hamas chief since October 7. PM
Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 assault and Israeli officers termed Hamas leaders as “useless males strolling”.
Why it issues
- Haniyeh’s killing is important not simply due to his management position in Hamas but additionally as a result of unprecedented location and timing of the strike.
- Haniyeh’s killing in a protected condominium in downtown Tehran is deeply embarrassing for the regime.
- The assassination occurred simply hours after Iran’s new president’s inauguration, when Tehran was on excessive alert, stuffed with senior officers and international dignitaries, making the strike much more audacious.
- Iran’s subtle air defenses and tight safety measures make an undetected exterior airstrike extremely unlikely, suggesting the potential for inside complicity or extreme safety lapses.
- Analysts informed AFP that Haniyeh was a moderating affect inside the Islamist group, and that whereas he would get replaced, the dynamics inside Hamas may change.
What they’re saying
- Iranian state media and Hamas attributed the strike to Israel, however the occasion has been deeply embarrassing for Tehran, indicating that such an operation might need required inside help.
- Haniyeh’s assassination “takes the battle to new dimensions and could have main repercussions on the whole area,” Hamas’s army wing mentioned.
- Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge in opposition to Israel, saying it had “ready a harsh punishment for itself” by killing “an expensive visitor in our house.”
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Israel “will precise a really heavy worth from any aggression in opposition to us on any entrance” however didn’t point out the killing particularly.
- “We would like revenge as a result of Israel killed Haniyeh, who was our visitor,” an Iranian lady informed state TV.
- Whereas the temper was buoyant in Israel, residents in besieged Gaza feared Haniyeh’s dying would lengthen the combating. “This information is horrifying. We really feel that he was like a father to us,” Gaza resident Hachem Al-Saati informed Reuters.
Between the traces: Iran’s inside hand?
- As per a Overseas Coverage report, Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran highlights inside assist inside Iran and sends a message of insecurity to the Iranian regime.
- Grassroots Iranian help for Israel has grown, with many Iranians expressing pro-Israel sentiments on-line and in Western demonstrations. That is partly due to the 2022 “Girl, Life, Freedom” motion in Iran, which demanded gender equality and regime change, confronted brutal authorities repression.
- Iranians see similarities between Hamas’s actions on October 7 and their very own authorities’s brutal crackdown on protesters, resulting in elevated help for Israel out of opposition to the Iranian regime.
- Regardless of the chance of being labeled as “spies,” lots of the assassination plots attributed to Israel inside Iran are believed to be carried out by native Iranian recruits
- “The help for Israel inside Iran has grown not due to any deep love for the Jewish state, however as an alternative out of the general public’s abhorrence of its personal authorities,” the FP report mentioned.
What subsequent
- Analysts and Hamas officers have indicated that Khaled Meshaal, Haniyeh’s deputy-in-exile residing in Qatar, is probably the most possible candidate to succeed him because the chief of the group.
- However the assassination of Haniyeh is unlikely to considerably alter the scenario in Gaza, as he primarily resided in Doha, Qatar, the place he was mentioned to steer an opulent life whereas serving as Hamas’s international consultant.
- Nonetheless, his dying will undoubtedly hinder the continuing ceasefire negotiations, additional diminishing the already slim probabilities of a hostage launch settlement and a diplomatically resolved finish to the battle, the FP report mentioned.
- The setback in peace talks may doubtlessly present a distraction from the inner political challenges confronted by the Israeli authorities, permitting Netanyahu and his allies to keep up their maintain on energy in the interim.
- Khamenei, Iran’s supreme chief, has commanded Iran to launch a direct assault on Israel as retribution for the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, a New York Instances report mentioned.
- Observers might want to carefully monitor inside Iranian responses and exterior diplomatic efforts to gauge the broader implications of this high-profile assassination.
- The potential for a wider regional battle stays a big concern as each nations navigate the fallout from this occasion.
(With enter from companies)
