The Middle East is on the brink of a major conflict after Israel’s dramatic assassination of top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a deadly airstrike on Hezbollah’s military chief in Beirut. These moves, coupled with recent Israeli raids in Syria and new U.S. military action in Iraq, have sparked outrage and vows of severe retaliation from Iran and its allies. As the region reels from these high-stakes attacks, global leaders and ordinary citizens alike fear that the escalating violence could plunge the Middle East into an even deeper crisis.
After Israel killed Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, during an event to inaugurate Iran’s new president, the world awoke to a new Middle East on Wednesday that stood on the brink of a huge war between Iran and its proxies and Israel. It has been stated that Haniyeh, a Qatari national, and an Iranian security guard perished while in the Iranian capital. Since then, Hamas has denounced the “treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.”
Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, declared in Farsi and English on X, “The criminal, terrorist Zionist regime martyred our dear guest in our territory and has caused our grief, but it has also prepared the ground for “severe” punishment.”
Additionally, in a statement quoted by state media, Iran’s recently sworn-in president Masoud Pezeshkian declared that his nation will “defend its territorial integrity, dignity, honor, and pride, and will make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly act.”
Taking out Haniyeh was the second high-profile killing that Israel has claimed responsibility for in a few hours, after the airstrike on Tuesday in Beirut that killed Fuad Shukr, the right-hand man of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and the head of Hezbollah’s military, in Beirut.
The major attack occurred on a neighborhood and buildings in the southern part of the city. According to the Lebanon Health Ministry, at least 74 people were wounded and three individuals, including two children, died. Since rescue personnel are still searching beneath the debris, the number of civilian fatalities is probably going to increase.
And now there are growing rumors of yet another Israeli airstrike, maybe with fatalities, targeting Damascus, the capital of Syria (unconfirmed). At about 3 p.m. local time, a massive cloud of smoke was observed rising over the Sayyidah Zaynab suburb of Damascus. Israel has repeatedly bombarded this area, claiming that each time it attacks Iranian military equipment and proxies, it is an area that sees a steady influx of Iranian religious pilgrims.
The US military also initiated its first military operation in Iraq in months overnight, allegedly hitting militia fighters who tried to launch a drone attack, adding to this unstable mixture. The current military action is being referred to be a defensive airstrike by the Pentagon.
According to reports, the US administration and State Department are perplexed by the quick succession of Israeli moves over the past few hours.
“Forces affiliated with the 47th Brigade… were exposed to an explosion of unknown nature, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of people and the injury of others,” the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Authority of Iraq said in a statement confirming the casualties.
Thus, Israel or the US have taken military action in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Iraq during the past twenty-four hours. “The threats to Israel posed by a range of Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah,” were discussed by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday, according to a readout.
Perspective from the devastation following the Israeli assault on the Haret Hreik area of Beirut:
Although Israel has not yet made an official statement regarding the Haniyeh killing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a meeting of his security cabinet due to growing fears of revenge in the region for the high-profile assassinations. A representative for the Israeli administration declared, “We are on extremely high alert for Iranian retaliation.”
This certainly raises the possibility of hostage negotiations to a whole new level, and the White House and State Department are probably having heated discussions right now. It has been said by Secretary Blinken, “We were not aware of or involved in the attack on Haniyeh.” According to Times of Israel journalists, common Palestinians are frustrated and worn out from the conflict:
War-weary Palestinians in Gaza mourn the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Some say it will complicate efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel.
“This man could have signed the prisoner exchange deal with the Israelis,” says Saleh al-Shannar, who was displaced from his home in northern Gaza. “Why did they kill him? They killed peace, not Ismail Haniyeh.”
Russia, meantime, has denounced the Israeli murder of the Hamas leader and warned that “dangerous” repercussions could follow:
Many analysts have long since come to the conclusion that Netanyahu is determined to fight until Hamas is destroyed, even if it means endangering the hostages who are still alive. He does not want the Gaza conflict to end quickly. This has been his internal political enemies and the families of the hostage victims’ unceasing criticism. Officials from Washington have only expressed their “great concern” over these events in statements thus far. Many Arab officials in the region share the sentiment expressed by Middle East scholar Rami Khouri, who claims that Israel is “a runaway killing machine” in light of the most recent assassination.
Earlier this year, GreatGameInternational reported that, according to several sources, the Deputy Head of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, was assassinated by Israel in a drone attack on the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.
