Israel admits to killing Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran
Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israel is responsible for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. This is the first public admission of this attack.
Defence Minister Israel Katz publicly admitted for the first time that Israel is responsible for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed at the end of July in Tehran. Until now, Israel had avoided commenting on the matter.
"Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off, and the long arm of the IDF (Israeli military) will strike him and hold him accountable," said Katz during a meeting with employees of the defence ministry.
Threat to Houthi rebels
Minister Katz also threatened Yemeni Houthi rebels, who have been attacking Israeli cities with drones and missiles. In one such attack on Tel Aviv, 16 people were injured.
Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike in Tehran, which Hamas and Iran attributed to Israel. Haniyeh, who resided permanently in Qatar, had come to Iran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In 2017, he became the political leader of Hamas, and two years later he left the Gaza Strip. After his death, Yahya Sinwar became the leader of Hamas, who was also killed by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip in October.
Haniyeh also served as the chief diplomat of Hamas, travelling between Qatar and Turkey and participating in ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip.
