The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday after Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been killed by an Israeli strike on Iran’s capital, the Russian presidency of the council said. The meeting, requested by Iran and supported by representatives of Russia, China and Algeria, is scheduled for 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), said a spokesman for the Russian presidency, which holds the rotating leadership of the council.
Quick Read
- UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting over Hamas chief killing:
- Emergency Meeting Scheduled: The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday after Hamas said its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran.
- Request and Support: The meeting was requested by Iran and supported by representatives of Russia, China, and Algeria.
- Meeting Time: Scheduled for 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).
- Iran’s Complaint: Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani blamed the strikes on Israel and called for decisive action from the international community to address these violations and hold perpetrators accountable.
- Israel’s Response: Israel has taken responsibility for the Beirut strike but has remained silent on the Tehran strike.
- Lebanon’s Casualties: Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported the death toll from the Beirut strike, targeting Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, has risen to five civilians.
- Journalist Deaths: Al-Jazeera reported two of its reporters were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza.
- Israeli Position: Israel’s Foreign Minister stated that Israel is not interested in an all-out war but insists on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
- U.S. Involvement: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of continued efforts for a Gaza cease-fire and stated that the U.S. was not aware of or involved in Haniyeh’s killing.
- Global Reactions: Various international leaders and organizations, including Turkey and China, condemned Haniyeh’s killing and expressed concern over escalating tensions.
- Iran’s Supreme Leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge against Israel for Haniyeh’s killing.
- Impact on Gaza Cease-Fire Negotiations: The killing of Haniyeh could complicate ongoing cease-fire negotiations in Gaza, with Hamas potentially pulling out of talks.
The Associated Press has the story:
UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting over Hamas leader killing
Newslooks- (AP)
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday after Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh had been killed by an Israeli strike on Iran’s capital, the Russian presidency of the council said. The meeting, requested by Iran and supported by representatives of Russia, China and Algeria, is scheduled for 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), said a spokesman for the Russian presidency, which holds the rotating leadership of the council.
Iran asks UN Security Council for an emergency meeting
UNITED NATIONS — Iran is asking the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to address “Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks” after the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran and the targeting of a top Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital. Iranian U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani in a letter on Wednesday blamed both strikes on Israel. He and said they “suggest an intention to escalate conflict and expand the war through the entire region.” He called on the international community for “decisive action to address these violations and hold the perpetrators accountable.” Israel has taken responsibility for the strike in Beirut, saying it killed a top Hezbollah commander. But Israel has been silent about the strike that killed Haniyeh, though it had vowed to kill him and other Hamas leaders over the group’s Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza. There is no immediate response to Iran’s request from Russia, which currently holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency.
Lebanon says civilian death toll from strike in Beirut is now 5
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Health Ministry says the death toll of an Israeli attack on Tuesday in southern Beirut has risen to five civilians. Israel said the attack targeted top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, who it blamed for the weekend rocket attack that killed 12 youths in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Hezbollah said Shukur was in the targeted building, but civil defense workers were still searching for him under the rubble. The five civilians killed were two children and three women. Many more were wounded.
Al-Jazeera says 2 reporters were killed in a strike in Gaza
JERUSALEM — Al-Jazeera said two of its reporters were killed in an Israeli strike in northern Gaza on Wednesday, the latest Palestinian journalists working with the Qatari network to be killed in the enclave. Correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul, cameraman Rami al-Rifi and a child were killed in a blast that struck a car the trio were traveling in in Gaza City, according to the network and the Emergency and Ambulance Service, which helps recover and transport casualties to hospitals The two journalists were reporting at the Shati urban refugee camp, the birthplace of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a strike while he was in Tehran, Iran, early Wednesday.
The Israeli army has not immediately commented on the journalists’ deaths. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 111 journalists, including 106 Palestinians, have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October. The Israeli government shut down Al-Jazeera in Israel in May through a new law that enables it to close down media outlets that are deemed a security threat. Al-Jazeera, a pro-Palestinian news channel, has accused Israel of targeting its journalists throughout the conflict. In December, Samer Abudaqa, one of the network’s cameramen was killed in a strike. Wael Dahdouh, the outlet’s bureau chief in Gaza, was reporting in late October when he received word on air that his wife, daughter, a son and grandchild were killed in an Israeli airstrike. In January, a strike killed another of his sons, who was also working for Al-Jazeera.
Israel says it is ‘not interested in an all-out war’
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has sent a letter to dozens of foreign ministries around the world saying that “Israel is not interested in an all-out war, but the only way to prevent it is the immediate implementation of (United Nations Security Council) Resolution 1701.” That resolution calls for a full cessation of hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border and a demilitarized zone. Katz writes that with Israel’s killing of a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah on Beirut on Tuesday, “Israel sent a clear message: we will harm with great force whoever harms us.” Israel has kept silent on the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in the Iranian capital, which Hamas and Iran have blamed on Israel.
Blinken urges mediator Qatar to keep working toward a Gaza cease-fire
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with the prime minister of Qatar, a key mediator in cease-fire talks for Gaza. The State Department says Blinken “emphasized the importance of continuing to work to reach a cease-fire to the conflict in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and unlock the possibility of broader stability.” Blinken also said the U.S. would keep working to ensure a deal is reached in the 10-month war. Concerns about cease-fire negotiations have soared in the hours after the killing of Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas has blamed Israel and could pull out of the negotiations. Hamas’ top political officials were previously based in Qatar.
Blinken says the U.S. didn’t know in advance
SINGAPORE – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States had not been aware of and had no involvement in the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Both Hamas and Iran have blamed it on Israel. Blinken declined to speculate on the impact Haniyeh’s death would have on efforts to secure a cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. But he said the incident made it more important to reach a deal to ease the suffering of civilians, free hostages held by Hamas and prevent the conflict from escalating.
“First, this is something we were not aware of or involved in,” Blinken said in an interview with Channel News Asia, according to a transcript provided by the State Department. “I’ve learned over many years never to speculate on the impact that an event has had on something else. So I can’t tell you what this means,” Blinken added.
‘I don’t think that war is inevitable,’ US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says
MANILA, Philippines — United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that even with the events of the past 24 hours, Washington hoped that Israel would be able to come to a diplomatic solution and deescalate the situation. “I don’t think that war is inevitable,” he told reporters in Manila, Philippines. “I maintain that. I think there’s always room and opportunity for diplomacy, and I’d like to see parties pursue those opportunities.” He added, however, that the United States has for some time been looking at events on Israel’s border with Lebanon with “concern.” “Again, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we keep things from turning into a broader conflict throughout the region.”
Asked what the U.S. would do if the conflict did escalate into a wider war, Austin reiterated his comments from the previous day that “if Israel is attacked, we certainly will help defend Israel.” “You saw us do that in April, you can expect to see us do that again,” he said. “But we don’t want to see any of that happen. We’re going to work hard to make sure that … we’re doing things to help take the temperature down and address the issues through diplomatic means.”
Apparent assassination of Hamas leader comes at a precarious time for Biden
WASHINGTON — The apparent assassination comes at a precarious time, as United States President Joe Biden’s administration has tried to push Hamas and Israel to agree to at least a temporary cease-fire and hostage release deal. CIA Director Bill Burns was in Rome on Sunday to meet with senior officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt in the latest round of talks. Separately, Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the region for talks with U.S. partners. There was no immediate reaction to the reports of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination from the White House.
Dismay in Gaza, and rare open support for Hamas in Ramallah
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza — War-weary Palestinians in Gaza are mourning the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Some say it will complicate efforts to reach a cease-fire deal with Israel. “This man could have signed the prisoner exchange deal with the Israelis,” said Saleh al-Shannar, who was displaced from his home in northern Gaza. “Why did they kill him? They killed peace, not Ismail Haniyeh.” Nour Abu Salam, a displaced woman, said the killing shows that Israel doesn’t want to end the war and establish peace in the region. “By assassinating Haniyeh, they are destroying everything,” she said.
And hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators have marched through Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in protest against the killing. They carried dozens of green Hamas flags and chanted, “The people want al-Qassem Brigade,” a reference to the militant group’s military wing. Open support in Ramallah for Hamas is rare. Ramallah is the administrative capital of the West Bank and is governed by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, long at odds with Hamas over the governance of the two Palestinian territories.
Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei vows revenge against Israel over killing of Hamas’ political chief
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday vowed revenge on Israel over the killing of Hamas’ political chief. Khamenei said Israel “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” after Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Tehran. “We consider his revenge as our duty,” Khamenei said in a statement on his official website, saying Haniyeh was ”a dear guest in our home.”
Turkey’s Erdogan denounces Haniyeh’s killing
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Hamas policital chief Ismail Haniyeh’s killing Wednesday as a “despicable act” aimed at undermining the Palestinian cause and demoralizing and intimidating its people. In a post on social media platform X, Erdogan said, “Zionist cruelty will never accomplish its objectives.” “Turkey will continue to try all avenues, force all doors and support our Palestinian brothers with all our means and strength,” Erdogan said. “We will continue to work for the establishment of a free, sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.” Haniyeh was scheduled to deliver a speech in Turkey’s parliament in August, said Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan’s ruling party.
Lebanon raises death toll from Israeli attack to 4 civilians as workers search for Shukur’s body
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday that the death toll of an Israeli attack in southern Beirut rose to four civilians, as the United Nations expressed concern of further escalation. Israel said the attack Wednesday targeted top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukur, who they accused of launching a rocket on Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights that killed 12 youths. Hezbollah said that Shukur was in the targeted building during the Israeli strike, but civil defense workers were still searching for him under the rubble. The four killed included two children and two women, and many more were wounded.
The strike hit deep into Lebanon, near the capital, stoking fears of the tense skirmishes turning into an all-out war and sparking regional conflict. Residents in the Beirut southern suburb of Haret Hreik told The Associated Press that they heard two strikes that they suspected was a drone attack. A delegation of Lebanese government ministers visited the site of the attack Thursday. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric expressed “grave concern” over the strikes in the densely populated neighborhood. “As we await further clarity on the circumstances, we again urge the parties to exercise maximum restraint and call on all concerned to avoid any further escalation,” said Dujarric. Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire along the tense Lebanon-Israel border almost daily since the latest Israel-Hamas war began.
China says it’s concerned that Haniyeh’s death could lead to further tensions in the Middle East
BEIJING — China said it condemns the assassination of Haniyeh, and said it was concerned that the leader’s death would lead to further tensions in the region. “We firmly oppose and condemn the act of assassination. We are deeply concerned that this incident may lead to escalation and turbulence in the region,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian at a daily briefing Wednesday.
“China has always advocated resolving regional disputes through negotiations and dialogues. The Gaza Strip should achieve a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire as soon as possible to avoid further escalation of conflicts and confrontations.” China served as a mediator between Hamas and Fatah and had gathered the two Palestinian factions together in Beijing last Tuesday to sign an agreement to form a government together after the war. Beijing increasingly has influence in the Middle East and is playing an active role in diplomacy in the region.
Iran’s president condemns Haniyeh’s killing, which took place hours after Pezeshkian was sworn in
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. He said in a post on the X platform that his country will defend its territorial integrity and make those responsible regret their actions. He ended the post with a Quran verse, saying “The God is all powerful and capable of revenge.” Hamas has blamed Israel, which has declined to comment. Haniyeh attended the Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, along with other Hamas officials and officials from Hezbollah and allied groups. Videos showed that after the ceremony, Pezeshkian hugged Haniyeh and raised his hand while they were laughing.
Regional allies of Hamas issue condolences after Haniyeh’s killing
BEIRUT — Hamas’ regional allies issued condolences and statements of defiance Wednesday in response to the killing of the group’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an alleged Israeli strike in Iran. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah called Haniyeh a “great and honest leader and dear brother” and extended condolences to his family “who have offered dozens of martyrs from among their men and women on the path to liberating Jerusalem and Palestine.”
Yemen’s Houthi rebels called Haniyeh’s assassination a “major escalation and a greater transgression, and a blatant violation of all international laws, norms and covenants” and said the group is “determined to stand by Hamas and all resistance factions in confronting the American-backed Zionist rampage.” Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group that has been fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, said that the “sinful assassination” will “not deter our people from continuing the resistance to put an end to the Zionist criminality that has crossed all limits.” It remains unclear how Hamas’ allies in the region will respond to the killing, as well as to a separate Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday that appears to have killed a top Hezbollah commander.
Haniyeh’s death won’t stop Hamas, and Israel won’t succeed, spokesperson says
CAIRO — Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesperson for Hamas, said that the killing of the group’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, won’t impact the group, saying that Israel won’t achieve its goals including eradicating the Palestinian. “The occupation will not succeed in achieving its goals,” he told The Associated Press, adding that Hamas emerged stronger after past crises and assassination of its leaders. He accused Israel of “spreading chaos and evil” in the region. He called for regional governments to speak out against Israel’s acts, and abandon “the state of silence, because more silence means more chaos.”
Turkey condemns Haniyeh’s death, alleging the attack aims to escalate regional fighting
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey strongly condemned the “heinous assassination” of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, attributing the killing to the Israeli government. A Foreign Ministry statement said the killing had shown that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “has no intention of achieving peace.” The ministry statement said the attack aimed to escalate the Gaza conflict to a regional scale and cautioned that larger conflicts could engulf the region if the international community does not intervene to halt Israel’s actions. Turkey is a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and often expresses support for Hamas. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has regularly hosted Haniyeh.
Palestinians leaders condemn Haniyeh’s reported killing as a ‘cowardly act’
In the West Bank on Wednesday, the internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Haniyeh’s killing, calling it a “cowardly act and dangerous development.” Political factions in the occupied territory called for strikes in protest at the killing. Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh in the West Bank also condemned Haniyeh’s assassination as a “cowardly act.” “We strongly denounce and condemn the assassination of the head of the Political Bureau, the national leader, Ismail Haniyeh,” the Palestinian Authority’s civil affairs chief wrote on X. “We consider it a cowardly act, this pushes us to remain more steadfast in the face of the occupation, and the necessity of achieving the unity of the Palestinian forces and factions.”
Hamas senior official Moussa Abu Marzouk, meanwhile, said that Haniyeh’s assassination will not go unanswered, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Wednesday. He also called the assassination a cowardly act.
