Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by an airstrike in Iran early Wednesday morning — a move that is likely to escalate tensions in the region.
Haniyeh is one of the militant group’s top leaders who was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran’s new president. The Associated Press and other outlets said his death was reported by the militant group and Iran, which has vowed to seek revenge over the killing of the leader.
“However, following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, we believe it is our duty to take revenge,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement on his website.
The latest airstrike in Tehran risks ratcheting up tensions between Israel and Iran, which has blamed Israel for the attack. Israel had no immediate comment on the assassination, but the military vowed to eliminate Hamas and its leaders in the months following the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the ongoing war in the region.
The latest strike could also risk setting back cease-fire negotiations to release the hostages being held by Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Just hours before the attack, Israel said it carried out a targeted strike in Beirut against the Hezbollah commander responsible for the rocket attack that struck a soccer field in northern Israel and killed 12 children and teenagers.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has no involvement in the killing of Haniyeh.
“This is something we were not aware of or involved in,” he said in an interview with Channel News Asia during a visit to Singapore, according to The New York Times.
“One of the things that we’ve been focused on is trying to make sure that the conflict that occurred in Gaza doesn’t escalate. We’re going to continue to do that as well,” he added.
The Associated Press contributed.