By Burnett Munthali
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed that Israel will “regret” the “cowardly” killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an airstrike in Tehran on July 30, 2024. The strike occurred while Haniyeh was attending Pezeshkian’s presidential inauguration ceremony.
Pezeshkian declared that Iran would “defend its territorial integrity, honour, pride, and dignity” in response to the incident. Israel has not confirmed responsibility for the attack on Haniyeh, who had been based in Qatar before his death.
The killing follows an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that targeted Hezbollah’s top military commander. This commander was implicated in a recent attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 12 children. Both Hamas and Hezbollah receive significant support from Iran, and their armed wings have been involved in ongoing conflicts with Israel.
In reaction to the heightened tensions, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Washington would work to ease the situation but reiterated that the U.S. would defend Israel if attacked. Currently, Israel is engaged in active conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and is experiencing exchanges of fire with Hezbollah from Lebanon.
The situation remains volatile, with significant implications for regional stability and international diplomatic efforts.
