Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in an attack that the Palestinian group blamed on Israel. Though Haniyeh was a dead man walking since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7 last year, his killing in Tehran is significant. It isn’t just a body blow for Hamas, but also a big loss of face for Iran, the arch enemy of the Jewish state.
Ismail Haniyeh was based in Qatar’s capital, Doha. The Arab country funds Hamas and gives shelter to Hamas political leaders. Qatar uses these ties and its oil wealth to pull disproportionate weight in global geopolitics.
Haniyeh was killed when he was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He is also believed to have met Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday.
Iran and Israel are sworn enemies. Israel has tried to prevent the Shia Islamic country from getting nuclear weapons by disrupting its nuke programme, while Iran funds groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to bleed the Jewish nation.
“A strike within Iran to kill the top political leader of Hamas is quite an achievement, it will be a big shock not just for Hamas but also to its main sponsor, Iran,” Bloomberg senior editor Bobby Ghosh told CNN.
“It is a tremendous embarrassment for Iran for Haniyeh to be killed on Iranian soil,” added Bobby Ghosh.
He called it a “loss of prestige” for Iran.
That Iran has received the message was clear from the emergency meeting of its Supreme National Security Council convened at the residence of Khamenei. Such meetings only take place during extraordinary circumstances, US media reported, citing two Iranian officials
