WASHINGTON, USA: Iranian media reported on Wednesday that Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, was killed in an airstrike in Tehran. The White House has acknowledged receiving reports of Haniyeh’s death but has declined to comment further.
Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. The attack, which occurred around 2 a.m. local time at a military veterans’ residence in northern Tehran, was confirmed by Iranian sources and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to reports, Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that while he does not see a Middle East war as inevitable, the U.S. would support Israel if it were attacked. The incident adds to the already high regional tensions between Iran and Israel.
