What We Know About the Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh
The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, one of Hamas’s most senior leaders, in Iran’s capital threatens to ratchet up tensions in the Middle East and could further imperil any prospect of a breakthrough in the already stalled negotiations to stop the war in Gaza.
Mr. Haniyeh was killed while he was in Tehran with other senior members of Iran’s “axis of resistance” — which includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen — to attend the inauguration of Iran’s newly elected president.
Hamas and Iranian state media on Wednesday blamed Israel for the death of Mr. Haniyeh, the militant group’s political leader, who was central to its high-stakes negotiations and diplomacy. Israel’s military has not commented on the assassination.
Here is what we know:
The killing comes at a tense moment.
Mr. Haniyeh was killed less than a day after Israel carried out a separate strike on a Hezbollah commander in a suburb of Beirut, in retaliation for a strike over the weekend in an Israeli-controlled town that killed 12 children and teenagers.
The assassination in Tehran leaves Israel facing potential responses from both Hamas and Hezbollah for attacks on their leaders, and from Iran for the killing within its borders.
Before the strikes, there were expectations that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement to pause the nearly 10-month-old war in Gaza that has left tens of thousands dead and prompted an ever-deepening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Mr. Haniyeh was among the negotiators in ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to end the war in Gaza in exchange for hostages captured in the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The location of his death, in Iran’s capital, is significant.
Mr. Haniyeh had been heading Hamas’s political faction from exile in Qatar, where he has been based since 2017. Israel maintains informal ties with Qatar and has not attacked Hamas leaders in that country.
The failure to protect the leader of an ally in its capital is a serious security breach for Iran. Mr. Haniyeh had met with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, on Tuesday shortly before his death. It also raises questions about the safety of Iran’s top leaders and Israel’s ability to target them.
Iran early Wednesday held an emergency meeting of its Supreme National Security Council at the supreme leader’s residence. Iranian state television, which reflects the view of the supreme leader and the government, said Wednesday morning that the attack would lead to retaliation from Iran-backed militant groups in the region.
Israel has carried out a number of high-profile assassinations in Iran in recent years, which has raised alarms and prompted a security overhaul. Iran and Israel have for years fought a covert war through proxies and targeted assassinations. In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel after an Israeli strike on Iranian commanders in Syria.
The assassination could imperil cease-fire talks.
As of late last week, officials had said progress was being made in the monthslong negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a truce in the war in Gaza, despite stubborn gaps over several critical issues.
The death of Mr. Haniyeh, a key figure in the negotiations, leaves the prospect for a deal even more unclear.
Qatar, which has played a central role in brokering the talks between Israel and Hamas, condemned Haniyeh’s killing, calling it “an ugly crime and a dangerous escalation.” The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the assassination and Israel’s “continued targeting of civilians in Gaza” was “leading the region to slide into chaos.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said on Wednesday that the U.S. government, which has also been mediating the talks along with Qatar and Egypt, would “work hard to make sure that we’re doing things to help take the temperature down, and address issues through diplomatic means.”
Ephrat Livni contributed reporting.
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