Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a public video statement on Wednesday, highlighting recent significant blows dealt to Iranian proxies. Netanyahu spoke of Israel’s recent targeting of Iran-backed Houthis and a strike against a key Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, who was killed in southern Beirut, Lebanon.
However, the prime minister made no mention of the deadly strike on Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, for which Israel has not taken responsibility. Despite nobody immediately claiming responsibility for the attack on Haniyeh in Tehran, Israel was quickly blamed after pledging to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders following the terrorist group’s attack on the Jewish State.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that it is “Iran’s duty to avenge Haniyeh’s blood because he was martyred on our soil.” In response, Iran’s embassy in the United Kingdom called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following the assassination of Haniyeh.
The death of Haniyeh has raised concerns about the potential for a wider regional conflict amid efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could not confirm if Israel was behind the strike on Haniyeh or if military intelligence had warned of the attack. Austin emphasized that the U.S. government would seek to ease tensions but would come to Israel’s defense if the country is attacked.
As the situation continues to develop, stay tuned for updates on this breaking news story.
