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Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran early Wednesday morning, according to Palestinian militant groups and Tehran, sparking threats of retaliation against Israel in a region already reeling from the Gaza war and deepening conflict in Lebanon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed Haniyeh’s death hours after he attended the inauguration of the country’s new president and said it was investigating.
Haniyeh, who is normally based in Qatar, has been serving as Hamas’s international diplomatic representative as the war in Gaza unfolded following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Hamas’ armed wing said in a statement that Haniyeh’s death would “take the fighting to a new level and have significant consequences”, while Iran also vowed to retaliate.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel had laid the groundwork for “its own severe punishment” and that Tehran had a duty to avenge the death of the Hamas leader in the Iranian capital. Iranian forces have previously launched direct attacks on Israel during the Gaza war.
Israel has not commented or claimed responsibility. The Israeli military said it was assessing the situation but did not issue any new security directives for civilians.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with security officials for consultations.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington would work to ease tensions but said the United States would help defend Israel if an attack occurred.
“I don’t think war is inevitable. I stand by that. I think there is always room and opportunity for diplomacy,” he told reporters during a visit to the Philippines.
The assassination came less than 24 hours after Israel claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander it said was behind deadly attacks in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, appearing to reduce the chances of a ceasefire in the 10-month war in Gaza.
“The assassination of the Haniyeh brothers by the Israeli occupation is a serious escalation aimed at breaking the will of Hamas,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
He declared that Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that ruled Gaza before the Israeli attack, would continue on the path it was on.
“We are confident of winning,” he said.
Qatar, which has been mediating talks aimed at halting fighting in Gaza, condemned Haniyeh’s death as a dangerous escalation of the conflict. China, Russia and Turkey also condemned it.
Iran’s top security body met to decide on the country’s strategy for responding to the death of Haniyeh, a close ally of Tehran, a person familiar with the matter said.
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