Highlights: Hamas political leader Haniyeh is killed in an alleged Israeli strike. Iran says revenge is ‘our duty’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel “will exact a heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.”

It’s his first public statement since the killing of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an airstrike in Tehran. Netanyahu did not mention the killing or Iran, whose supreme leader has vowed revenge against Israel.

Hamas and Iran quickly blamed Israel for the shock assassination that has risked escalating into an all-out regional war. The strike that killed Haniyeh came hours after Israel targeted a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today as the U.N.’s top leader presses for international action to keep Mideast tensions from boiling over.

Secretary-General António Guterres sees the airstrikes in Tehran and Beirut as “a dangerous escalation,” spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says.

Iran requested the emergency meeting. It pressed the U.N.’s most powerful body to address “Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks.” Iran blames Israel for killing Hamas leader Haniyeh. Its U.N. ambassador says the strikes “suggest an intention to escalate conflict and expand the war through the entire region.”

Russia currently holds the council’s rotating presidency.

UNITED NATIONS_ Iran is asking the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to address “Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks” after the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran and the targeting of a top Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital.

Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani in a letter on Wednesday blamed both strikes on Israel. He and said they “suggest an intention to escalate conflict and expand the war through the entire region.” He called on the international community for “decisive action to address these violations and hold the perpetrators accountable.”

Israel has taken responsibility for the strike in Beirut, saying it killed a top Hezbollah commander. But Israel has been silent about the strike that killed Haniyeh, though it had vowed to kill him and other Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.

There is no immediate response to Iran’s request from Russia, which currently holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency.

A senior Hamas official has told journalists in Iran that whoever replaces the group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh will “follow the same vision” regarding negotiations to end the war — and continue in the same policy of resistance against Israel.

Khalil al-Hayya spoke hours after Haniyeh was killed by what he described as a missile in Tehran. Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel, which is keeping silent on it.

Al-Hayya also said Haniyeh’s death will have little practical effect on the militant group’s ability to operate. “It does not deviate from (from its path) as a result of the martyrdom or death of one leader or 10 leaders,” he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has sent a letter to dozens of foreign ministries around the world saying that “Israel is not interested in an all-out war, but the only way to prevent it is the immediate implementation of (United Nations Security Council) Resolution 1701.” That resolution calls for a full cessation of hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border and a demilitarized zone.

Katz writes that with Israel’s killing of a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah on Beirut on Tuesday, “Israel sent a clear message: we will harm with great force whoever harms us.”

Israel has kept silent on the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in the Iranian capital, which Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Palestinian party Fatah has long been at odds with Hamas but says it will send a delegation to attend the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on Friday.

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority administers limited parts of the Israel-occupied West Bank, while Hamas has ruled Gaza. The secular Fatah party and Hamas, a Sunni Islamist party, have long argued over the governance of the two Palestinian territories.

The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has condemned Haniyeh’s killing. Israel’s military and government are not commenting on it.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with the prime minister of Qatar, a key mediator in cease-fire talks for Gaza. The State Department says Blinken “emphasized the importance of continuing to work to reach a cease-fire to the conflict in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and unlock the possibility of broader stability.”

Blinken also said the U.S. would keep working to ensure a deal is reached in the 10-month war.

Concerns about cease-fire negotiations have soared in the hours after the killing of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas could pull out of the negotiations. Hamas’ top political officials were previously based in Qatar.

The targeting of two senior militant leaders in two Middle Eastern capitals within hours of each other — with each strike blamed on Israel — risks rocking the region at a critical moment.

International mediators are working to bring Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire. Intense diplomatic efforts are also underway to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah after months of cross-border fighting. Hezbollah has said it will halt its fire on Israel if a Gaza cease-fire is reached.

The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran could prompt Hamas to pull out of talks being mediated by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, though it has yet to comment on the issue. And the strike against senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut could hurt careful attempts to defuse a Middle East powder keg.

And Iran has threatened to respond after the attack on its territory. “The events in Tehran and Beirut push the entire Middle East to a devastating regional war,” said one Western diplomat whose government has engaged in diplomacy to prevent all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.

BEIRUT — Hamas has a history of swift and smooth replacement of fallen leaders killed in Israeli airstrikes. But after Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Iran’s capital, “we are not discussing this matter now,” a Hamas official tells The Associated Press when asked about the process. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The group’s Shura council, the main consultative body, is expected to meet soon, likely after Haniyeh’s funeral in Qatar, to name a new successor.

One expert on Palestinian organizations says the choice is likely between Khaled Mashaal, a veteran Hamas official and former leader, and Khalil al-Hayyah, a powerful figure within Hamas who was close to Haniyeh.

Hamas’ new political leader will have to decide on whether to continue the military option, and become essentially a guerrilla and underground group, or choose a leader that can offer political compromises. That’s an unlikely option at this stage.

Israel has a long history of targeted killings. Here’s a look at some of them.

CAIRO — The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared three days of mourning and directed flags to be lowered after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran’s capital.

The head of the Houthis’ supreme political council, Mahdi al-Mashat, has blamed Israel. That’s according to the Houthis’ media office. It says he also holds Israel and the U.S. responsible for “expanding the arena of war, confrontation and the wave of assassinations.”

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — An Israeli airstrike has hit a vehicle in central Gaza, killing at least eight Palestinian men. That’s according to authorities at the nearby al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital where they were taken.

An Associated Press journalist at the hospital counted the bodies after the afternoon strike in the central town of Zawaida.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 39,000 people have been killed in the territory since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators have marched through Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in protest against the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

They carried dozens of green Hamas flags and chanted, “The people want al-Qassem Brigade,” a reference to the militant group’s military wing. Others chanted, “We are the men of Muhammad al-Deif,” Hamas’ shadowy military leader targeted in an Israeli strike in Gaza earlier this month.

Open support in Ramallah for Hamas is rare. Ramallah is the administrative capital of the West Bank and is governed by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, long at odds with Hamas over the governance of the two Palestinian territories.

“We’ve now seen again that Israel can target anywhere in Iran. But this time there is a question of the safety of the Iranian senior officials,” Nomi Bar-Yaacov, associate fellow with the international security program at Chatham House, tells the AP. “The bodyguard assigned to Ismail Haniyeh was killed, he’s Iranian, and Israel is basically sending a message to the Iranians we can kill any one of you anywhere, anytime. And that is very dangerous.”

And more: “Iran has many long arms known as proxies, but they act as sub-states in many places, in Iraq, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Yemen, in Gaza, of course, in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. So they have got their people training, arming, planning everywhere, and they can reach anywhere in the world.” Bar-Yaacov said. “They can also hit Israeli or Jewish targets globally. And the question really is, what’s next?

“And it looks like we’re heading for a very serious escalation. But this really is time for very intense diplomacy.”

Speaking just minutes after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed, the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said that “we have to ask for ways to de-escalate the tensions and avoid a war, which will have an impact on the whole region and beyond.”

Borrell also called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza that would allow “humanitarian access, freedom of hostages and to work towards a two-state solution for a sustainable and lasting peace.”

Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, asked on social media: “Can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side? Peace needs serious partners & a global stance against the disregard for human life.” Qatar is a mediator in the negotiations.

SINGAPORE – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States had not been aware of and had no involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran that both Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.

Speaking in Singapore, Blinken declined to speculate on the impact Haniyeh’s death would have on efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. But he said the incident made it more important to get a deal to ease the suffering of civilians, free hostages held by Hamas and prevent the conflict from escalating.

“First, this is something we were not aware of or involved in,” Blinken said in an interview with Channel News Asia, according to a transcript provided by the State Department.

“I’ve learned over many years never to speculate on the impact that an event has had on something else. So I can’t tell you what this means,” Blinken said.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — War-weary Palestinians in Gaza are mourning the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Some say it will complicate efforts to reach a cease-fire deal with Israel.

“This man could have signed the prisoner exchange deal with the Israelis,” said Saleh al-Shannar, who was displaced from his home in Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. “Why did they kill him? They killed peace, not Ismail Haniyeh.”

Nour Abu Salam, a displaced woman, said the killing shows that Israel doesn’t want to end the war and establish peace in the region.

“By assassinating Haniyeh, they are destroying everything,” she said.

TEHRAN, Iran — Tens of hardline supporters of Iran’s government have gathered at the University of Tehran to condemn the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Demonstrators chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” while holding pictures of Haniyeh and Palestinian flags.

Amir Hossein Rahemi, a student attending the gathering, says Iran must give a decisive response to the assassination of its guest: “This is necessary for its security and peace.”

Egypt has condemned the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and a Hezbollah commander as a “serious development” that threatens regionalizing the conflict.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Israel’s escalation over the past two days has further complicated cease-fire talks for the Israel-Hamas war.

It reflects “the absence of Israeli political will” to achieve a cease-fire deal, and undermine efforts to stop the war in Gaza, it said.

Ismail Haniyeh’s last hours were spent in Tehran, where he attended the swearing in of Iran’s new president.

In photos from the event Tuesday taken by The Associated Press, Haniyeh is seen smiling and clapping, seated alongside leaders from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group and Hezbollah.

He had met earlier with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that Israel doesn’t want a war following the assassination of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Gallant did not refer to Haniyeh’s killing in the statement from his office, but said, “We don’t want war but we are preparing for all possibilities.”

Nabih Awada, a Lebanese political analyst close to the Iranian-backed “axis of resistance” and a former fighter with the Lebanese Communist Party, said he expects both the strike in Beirut that killed a Hezbollah commander and the assassination of Hamas’ political leader could spur an “escalation that is different from what we have seen in the past.”

The strike in Beirut targeted a civilian residential area and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur was targeted “in his home rather than in a military headquarters,” he said. “Therefore, this matter is considered a violation of all rules of engagement.”

Hezbollah, he said, “has developed many equations” including that the response to a strike in Beirut’s “southern suburbs will be in Haifa.”

As for the killing of Haniyeh, he said, “All political leaders in the Hamas movement have a military history in one way or another. However, Ismail Haniyeh was targeted first because he is a political figure par excellence and because he is the head of the political bureau of Hamas. … Therefore, this assassination is mainly a political assassination” and as such might draw a harsher response than the killing of a military commander.

Awada, who spent a decade in Israeli prisons along with some of the current Hamas leaders, said the responses would depend on the facts that emerge from the attacks.

“If the missile was launched from the area of Azerbaijan or from the area of Irbil, the response will be towards these two areas,” Awada said, but if it was launched from the sky, “we will certainly face a different confrontation.”

Malaysia, a strong supporter of Palestinians, strongly condemned Haniyeh’s assassination and called for a thorough investigation.

The Foreign Ministry said the killing reinforced the urgent need to ease tensions.

“Malaysia urges for an immediate and thorough investigation into this assassination, and those responsible to be brought to justice. We also urge all parties to exercise restraint while facts surrounding the assassination are being established,” it said in a statement.

Haniyeh’s body will be buried in Qatar, after a funeral service in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Hamas said in a statement that Haniyeh’s body will be transferred to the Qatari capital, Doha, on Thursday.
Muslim funeral prayers will be held there Friday, before his body is buried in a cemetery in Lusail, Qatar’s second-largest city.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov strongly condemned the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and voiced concern that it could further destabilize the region.

“We resolutely condemn the attack that led to Mr. Haniyeh’s death,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. “We believe that such action is aimed against attempts to establish peace in the region, and could significantly destabilize the already tense situation.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the assassination of Haniyeh and offered condolences to his family and to Palestinians.

“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings irrespective of the motives,” the statement read. “We are deeply shocked by the timing of this reckless act, coinciding with the inauguration of the President of Iran, an event attended by several foreign dignitaries” including the Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

It blamed Israel for the attack, which it called a dangerous escalation that undermines efforts for peace in an already volatile region.

Oil prices jumped more than $2 a barrel, pushed higher by uncertainty over oil supplies if violence flares after the assassination.

U.S. benchmark crude oil was up $2.10 to $76.83 per barrel, and Brent crude, the international standard, jumped $2.04 to $80.11 per barrel.

The Iranian government has declared three days of public mourning over the assassination of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Iran accused Israel of the attack that killed Haniyeh and said it will face a “harsh and painful response.”

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard issued a second statement regarding the Haniyeh’s assassination on its website, saying Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed at their residence in the early hours of Wednesday in Tehran.

The statement said, “Undoubtedly, this crime of the Zionist regime will face a harsh and painful response from the powerful and huge resistance front, especially Islamic Iran.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced Haniyeh’s killing as a “despicable act” aimed at undermining the Palestinian cause and demoralizing and intimidating its people.

In a post on social media platform X, Erdogan said, “Zionist cruelty will never accomplish its objectives.”

“Turkey will continue to try all avenues, force all doors and support our Palestinian brothers with all our means and strength,” Erdogan said. “We will continue to work for the establishment of a free, sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Haniyeh was scheduled to deliver a speech in Turkey’s parliament in August, said Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan’s ruling party.

Hamas’ military wing said Haniyeh’s assassination “takes the battle to new dimensions and will have major repercussions on the entire region.”

“The enemy made a miscalculation by expanding the circle of aggression and killing leaders of the resistance in various places and violating the sovereignty of states in the region,” the statement read.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran, accusing of Israel of being behind the attack, and warned that such attacks could “drag the region towards widening the war and threatens both regional and international security and safety.”

The Taliban’s chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid described Haniyeh as an “intelligent and resourceful Muslim leader” who made great sacrifices. He said the Taliban-run administration considered it an Islamic and humanitarian obligation to defend Hamas and condemn the atrocities perpetrated by Israel.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again strongly requests influential parties, especially (from) the Islamic and Arab world, to do their best to stop the Zionist invasion and atrocities in the region,” Mujahid said on X.

China said it condemns the assassination of Haniyeh, and said it was concerned that the leader’s death would lead to further tensions in the region.

“We firmly oppose and condemn the act of assassination. We are deeply concerned that this incident may lead to escalation and turbulence in the region,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian at a daily briefing Wednesday.

“China has always advocated resolving regional disputes through negotiations and dialogues. The Gaza Strip should achieve a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire as soon as possible to avoid further escalation of conflicts and confrontations.”

China served as a mediator between Hamas and Fatah and had gathered the two Palestinian factions together in Beijing last Tuesday to sign an agreement to form a government together after the war. Beijing increasingly has influence in the Middle East and is playing an active role in diplomacy in the region.

A group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza says that, after Haniyeh’s assassination, the only viable way to free the captives is with a cease-fire deal.

The group said military operations have achieved “significant security gains,” but urged progress on a deal to release the roughly 110 remaining hostages and bodies.

“Time is of the essence,” it said in a statement, calling on the Israeli government and world leaders to seal a cease-fire deal.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to Haniyeh’s assassination and said that Iran considers revenge as its duty, according to his official website.

“The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our home and made us sad, but it also prepared a harsh punishment for itself,” Khamenei said.

Before attending President Pezeshkian’s swearing-in on Tuesday, Haniyeh met Khamenei.

Khamenei said the assassination happened “in the territory of the Islamic Republic, we consider his revenge as our duty.”

Hamas’ regional allies issued condolences and statements of defiance Wednesday in response to the killing of the group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an alleged Israeli strike in Iran.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah called Haniyeh a “great and honest leader and dear brother” and extended condolences to his family “who have offered dozens of martyrs from among their men and women on the path to liberating Jerusalem and Palestine.”

Yemen’s Houthi rebels called Haniyeh’s assassination a “major escalation and a greater transgression, and a blatant violation of all international laws, norms and covenants” and said the group is “determined to stand by Hamas and all resistance factions in confronting the American-backed Zionist rampage.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group that has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, said that the “sinful assassination” will “not deter our people from continuing the resistance to put an end to the Zionist criminality that has crossed all limits.”

It remains unclear how Hamas’ allies in the region will respond to the killing, as well as to a separate Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday that appears to have killed a top Hezbollah commander.

A senior Russian diplomat decried the Haniyeh killing in Tehran as “an absolutely unacceptable political assassination.”

“This is all very bad. This is an absolutely unacceptable political assassination, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions,” Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Haniyeh’s assassination, which took place hours after he was sworn in.

Pezeshkian’s post on X said his country will defend its territorial integrity and make those responsible regret their actions.

Hamas has blamed Israel, which has declined to comment.

Qatar has condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as a “heinous crime and serious escalation.”

In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the assassination and “Israel’s reckless behavior” will cause chaos in the region and “undermine peace prospects.”
Qatar hosted Haniyeh and plays a major role in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas.

A Hamas spokesperson says Haniyeh’s death won’t hinder the group.

“The occupation will not succeed in achieving its goals,” Sami Abu Zuhri told The Associated Press, adding that Hamas emerged stronger after past crises and assassinations of its leaders.

He accused Israel of “spreading chaos and evil” in the region, and called for regional governments to speak out against Israel’s acts.

“More silence means more chaos,” he said.

A senior member of the Taliban in Afghanistan paid tribute to Haniyeh on Wednesday and offered condolences to his family, friends, and Palestinians.

“Although the martyrdom of Haniyeh is a great loss, the bloodlines of such great people draw the path of freedom,” Anas Haqqani said on X.

Anas Haqqani is the brother of acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said he hoped Haniyeh’s assassination did not lead to an escalation of violence in the Middle East.

“Let me firstly say that Hamas is a terrorist organization and this individual was central to the activities which occurred on Oct. 7, activities which we have consistently condemned,” Marles told reporters Wednesday.

“That said, we have consistently been advocating for a cease-fire in the Middle East to see an end to the catastrophe which is playing out in the Middle East and we very much support the efforts of President Biden and his administration in bringing about a cease-fire and clearly, in this moment, we are very much advocating, using our voice in the global community to advocate against any escalation in what’s occurring in the Middle East,” Marles added.

Mohammed Dahlan, a former Gaza security chief and Hamas rival, decried the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as “cowardly assassination.”

Writing on Facebook, he said the killing “won’t happen without an American greenlight to (the Israeli) occupation to continue its crimes and genocidal war against our people and their leaders.”

Dahlan, who is based in the United Arab Emirates, called for unity to “face plans to liquidate the Palestinian cause and impose new facts on the ground.”

Mohamed al-Hindi, a leading member of the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad group, told Al Jazeera TV that the back-to-back killing of Hamas leader and a Hezbollah commander will ignite a wider conflict in the region.

He said the killings are messages from Israel to Hamas and Iran that only bring out wider support from Yemen, Iraq and other resistance movements. Al-Hindi said Haniyeh’s position will be filled very soon.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that even with the events of the past 24 hours, Washington hoped that Israel would be able to come to a diplomatic solution and deescalate the situation.

“I don’t think that war is inevitable,” he told reporters in Manila, Philippines. “I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunity for diplomacy, and I’d like to see parties pursue those opportunities.”

He said he didn’t have details about Haniyeh’s killing or the death of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

He added, however, that the United States has for some time been looking at events on Israel’s border with Lebanon with “concern.”

“Again, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning into a broader conflict throughout the region.”

Iran’s Fars news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guard, posted on X that Haniyeh was stationed in the north of Tehran, and a projectile from the air killed him around 2:30 a.m. Further investigations are underway and details will be announced later, Fars added.