Tehran (Al-Ittihad, agencies)
The UN Security Council is holding an emergency session in New York following the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran. Diplomats said the meeting will be held at Iran’s request and with the support of Russia, China and Algeria.
Yesterday, the Public Relations Department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, and one of his security team members in Tehran.
The Iranian News Agency (IRNA) quoted the Public Relations Department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as saying that Haniyeh and a member of his security team were assassinated yesterday morning, after their residence in Tehran was targeted.
The statement said that the cause and dimensions of this accident will be announced.
Haniyeh arrived in Tehran to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, which was held the day before yesterday in Tehran.
For his part, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of being behind the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, vowing to respond.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said: The relevant institutions in Iran are continuing to investigate the dimensions and details of this incident.
Kanaani said that the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran will strengthen the deep and strong ties between Iran and Palestine.
For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas strongly condemned the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, considering it a cowardly act and a dangerous development.
Abbas called on the Palestinians to unite, be patient and steadfast, according to the Palestinian News Agency. The national forces in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate announced a general strike in condemnation and denunciation of the assassination of Haniyeh and his companion in a raid on his residence in Tehran.
In addition, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that the United States “had no hand” in the assassination of the head of Hamas’s political bureau in Tehran.
“First of all, we were not aware of it and had no hand in it,” he said in a televised interview, excerpts of which were published by his office.
“I can’t explain to you what that means,” Blinken said in an interview with Singapore’s NewsAsia. “I can assure you that the need for a ceasefire, and the importance of that to everyone, remains.”
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he does not believe a wider war in the Middle East is inevitable, adding that the United States is seeking to calm rising tensions in the region.
“I don’t think war is inevitable, I stick to that, I think there is always room and opportunity for diplomacy,” he said during a visit to the Philippines.
His comments came after Israel announced on Tuesday that it had killed a leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, whom it held responsible for a deadly attack on the Golan Heights.
Asked if he could confirm information about another strike that killed Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran yesterday, Austin replied: “I don’t have any additional information to provide.”
#Emergency #session #Security #Council #assassination #Ismail #Haniyeh