Ismail Haniyeh was last seen alive when he attended the inauguration of Iran's new president Masoud Pezeshkian on July 30. Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group, was killed in an airstrike the following day.
In Singapore, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Channel News Asia that the US had “no knowledge or involvement” in Haniyeh’s killing. “Well, of course, I’ve seen the reports, and what I can say now is, as I said earlier, I don’t think there’s any detraction from the importance of reaching a ceasefire.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing, but Hamas leaders have been targeted by Israel since the group's attack on Israel on October 7, which sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
In April, an Israeli airstrike killed three of Haniyeh's sons.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who met with Haniyeh the day before he was killed, has vowed revenge. In a statement he said, “We consider it our duty to avenge the blood of our beloved guest.”
Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, also blamed the United States. “We know that America usually guides and supports the Zionists in such criminal acts,” he said.
Haniyeh's killing came a day after Israel carried out an attack in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed Fu'ad Shukr, a commander of Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group.
Israel holds the group responsible for a deadly attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at the weekend.
With concerns growing about regional escalation, Western countries have urged parties concerned to exercise restraint.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said war was not inevitable. “There is always room and opportunity for diplomacy, and I would like to see the parties seek those opportunities. We will do everything we can to make sure that we prevent things from escalating into a broader conflict across the region,” he said.
Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza, while a ceasefire to reach an agreement on the release of the hostages remains elusive.
Qatar and Egypt, the main mediators in the talks, said Haniyeh's killing endangered ceasefire efforts.
But Blinken declined to speculate. “We simply don’t know. What I do know is the ongoing imperative to have a ceasefire. And what I do know is we will continue to work on that every day,” he said.
Israel has killed more than 39,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The operation was in response to Hamas's Oct. 7 offensive on Israel, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage. (lt/ka)
