Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, was assassinated in Tehran today (Wednesday), as announced by Hamas and Iran. A senior Hamas official abroad, Sami Abu Zuhri, said in an interview with Al-Araby channel: "Hamas is an idea, and the idea does not die when people die. Therefore, our message is that it's impossible for Hamas to be affected by these assassinations."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "The martyrdom of Haniyeh in Tehran will strengthen and deepen the unbreakable bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance," as reported by Reuters citing Iranian state media. An Iranian source said: "Iran's Supreme National Security Council convened to discuss Haniyeh's assassination. The council will decide on the Iranian strategy in response to Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran," as reported by Reuters.
In a further statement, Iran declared that it "will defend its territorial integrity and honor and will make the invaders regret their cowardly actions." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian added a personal note, saying, "Yesterday I raised Haniyeh's victorious hand, and now I have to carry him on my shoulders and bury him."
The New York Times reported that Iranian officials are in complete shock following the assassination of Haniyeh, according to sources, as it represents a severe blow to Iran's security reputation at a time when it wants to project strength in the region.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned Haniyeh's assassination, stating: "This assassination operation and the ongoing Israeli behavior of harming civilians in Gaza will lead to the deterioration of the region into a cycle of chaos and the destruction of the possibility for peace."
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in response to Haniyeh's assassination, stated: "Haniyeh's assassination is a political murder that is completely unacceptable to us. This will negatively affect the ongoing negotiations regarding Gaza. The murder of the head of Hamas's political bureau will lead to further escalation in the region."
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Haniyeh's assassination, calling it a "cowardly act." The secretary of the PLO Executive Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh, also condemned the assassination and called for "achieving unity of Palestinian faction forces."
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad said: "Haniyeh's assassination is a great loss to the Palestinian nation. If the enemy thinks it can defeat the resistance by assassinating its leaders - it is completely mistaken."
The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the assassination and added: "The purpose of the assassination is to expand the war in Gaza to a regional level and shows that Netanyahu's government has no intention of achieving peace."
The Houthi rebels in Yemen responded to the assassination, saying: "The assassination of Haniyeh is an act of terrorism and a clear violation of the law."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in response to Haniyeh's assassination: "I've heard the reports, I have nothing to add." Austin also said he doesn't think a war on Israel's northern border is inevitable and added, "If Israel is attacked, we will assist in defense. But we will work hard through diplomatic means to ensure this doesn't happen."
* Kann 11 News contributed to this article.