Iran and Hamas accuse Israel of assassination, which the latter has neither confirmed nor denied
Iranians take part in the funeral for Hamas leader the late Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials, briefed on the order, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards.
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Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, shortly after Iran announced that Haniyeh had been killed. Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of the assassination. Israel, which is at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has neither acknowledged nor denied killing Haniyeh, who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran's new president.
Notably, Israel has a long history of killing enemies abroad, including Iranian nuclear scientists and military commanders, according to the NYT. Through almost 10 months of war in Gaza, Iran has tried to strike a balance, putting pressure on Israel with sharply increased attacks by its allies and proxy forces in the region, while avoiding an all-out war.
Israel strikes loaded rocket launchers in Khan Yunis
The Israeli army continued operations in the southern Gaza cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah during the past day, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday morning. In Khan Yunis, loaded launchers aimed at Israel were struck. Troops continued pressing Hamas in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood. Soldiers dismantled a structure rigged with explosives that had been used by Hamas. Simultaneously, Israeli forces continued operations in central Gaza. Several armed Hamas squads that posed a threat to soldiers were struck by the Air Force. The Air Force also struck approximately 35 targets across Gaza, including armed squads, military structures, and other terror infrastructure.
Israel says Hamas military chief Deif was killed in July
The Israeli military said on Thursday that it has confirmed that the head of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. Israel targetted Deif in a July 13 strike that hit a compound on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
End this war: UNSC
The UNSC has urged for urgent diplomatic efforts to “change the trajectory” and seek a path towards regional peace and stability amid rising tensions in West Asia following the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s military commander Fuad Shukr.
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