The killing of Hamas leader threatens to derail any hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza further complicating efforts for peace in the region
Israel seems to have eliminated Hamas leader Haniyeh, using an airborne guided projectile in an early morning attack. Haniyeh was in Iran for the Iranian president’s swearing-in ceremony as a state guest and was staying in one of the residences for veterans. The events in the Middle East are shaping dangerously, the things as they are turning out to be, it’s not out of the scope of imagination that soon Iran may be part of a major regional conflict.
We have already seen that a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel is underway in Lebanon. However, Israel has still not taken responsibility for the strike. Israel has been accusing Iran of harbouring Hamas leaders like Haniyeh and has openly vowed to kill them. Israel not taking responsibility for the attack shows that it does not want a direct confirmation with Iran right now. It remains to be seen how things play out, there is also a section in Israel that is suspicious of Iran’s state media’s claim that Haniyeh has even been killed.
Having said that there are little or no takers of the version that Israel is not responsible for the killing of Hamas’s political leader. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and termed it a violation of the entire international rule of law. The act is a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and the supposed security bubble of the Iranian capital. This is likely to have far-reaching consequences in the short and the long term. Haniyeh, normally based in Qatar, had been the face of international diplomacy for Hamas. He had been an important part of internationally brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave. This killing appears to set back chances of any imminent ceasefire agreement in the 10-month-old war in Gaza and Lebanon.