Tensions are rising in the Middle East following the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Iran. Hamas claims an Israeli missile hit the house of political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
This is one of the latest developments from the region. The Israeli military announced on Thursday, Aug. 1, it had killed top Hamas military leader Muhammad Deif during a strike in Gaza earlier in July. Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds behind the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel.
The New York Times reports with the hit on Haniyeh happening on Iranian soil, the country’s supreme leader has reportedly issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, citing three Iranian officials briefed on the order. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind Haniyeh’s assassination.
Haniyeh was the Hamas negotiator for a possible hostage deal with Israel. Many fear that deal is now dead.
The strike on Haniyeh came just hours after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.
