Hamas says it had a top leader killed in Iran
“The Israeli embassy in Beirut” comes after a terrorist attack on a leader of Israel’s anti-Hizbollah
Just hours after Israel said it had killed a top commander of Hezbollah in an air strike in the Lebanon capital, news broke that another twelve children had been killed in a rocket attack on Majdal Shams.
Hamas said that one of its leaders, Haniyeh, was killed in Iran. He was killed in a raid on his house in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of the new president of Iran, the group said in a statement.
A large explosion ripped through the streets of southern Beirut Tuesday evening after Israeli forces struck an apartment building, leaving it partially collapsed. An ambulance wailed to get to the area, after police closed off the roads. People are shouting that their family is inside. They ran towards the explosion.
The international community is urging restraint on the part of both sides in the wake of the recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah, while diplomacy is necessary to resolve conflicts in the region according to the United States.
Deif is believed to have survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts over the years. The Defense Minister of Israeli called him Osama Bin Laden.
“This is a significant milestone in the process of dismantling Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza, and in the achievement of the goals of this war,” Gallant said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lays the blame for the Israeli-Hamas and Israeli-Palestinian backreaction in the Gaza war
Israel is now preparing for potential retaliatory strikes. Several major airlines have canceled flights to Israel because of the situation in the region.
Israel’s announcements that both Hamas’ military and political leaders are dead could provide Israel with an “image of victory” that could pave the way for Israel to be willing to advance dithering negotiations and finalize a ceasefire deal and hostage-prisoner exchange with Hamas.
Israel’s defense chiefs have been advocating for a ceasefire with Hamas, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as delaying a ceasefire deal, under pressure from his far-right political partners who want to continue the Gaza war.
In a speech Wednesday, Netanyahu said people have told him both domestically and abroad to end the war. We can end the war because we achieved what we can, otherwise it won’t happen. I will not succumb to those voices today, and I did not when they were present.
