Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Katz has publicly acknowledged Israel’s role in the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, earlier this year in Tehran, Iran. The admission came during a speech at a ceremony hosted by Iran’s Ministry of Defense.
According to international news reports, Katz stated, “We will launch severe attacks on the Houthis in Yemen. We will decapitate the leadership of the Houthis just as we did with Ismail Haniyeh, Yehya Sinwar, and Hassan Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon. We will do the same in Hodeidah and Sana’a.”
This marks the first time an Israeli official has openly confirmed the country’s involvement in the killing of Haniyeh. The Hamas leader was targeted at his residence in Tehran on July 31, 2024, while attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
In his remarks, Katz emphasized Israel’s aggressive stance, stating, “Anyone who stands against Israel or raises a hand against us will have that hand cut off. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will hold them accountable.” His statement further solidified Israel’s posture of taking direct action against those it considers enemies.
While Israel had previously been implicated in attacks against other Hamas figures like Yehya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, this is the first official acknowledgment of Israeli responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination on Iranian soil.
In a related development, on December 19, Israel launched attacks on Houthi positions in Yemen, targeting ports, oil facilities, and power plants, resulting in at least nine casualties.
The assassination of Haniyeh has significantly heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. In retaliation, Iran launched a series of missile attacks on Israel in October. While Israel reported intercepting most of the missiles, some did hit Israeli territory, though no major casualties were reported. Iran stated the missile strikes were a direct response to the killing of key figures, including Haniyeh.
Hamas confirmed Haniyeh’s death, accusing Israeli agents of carrying out the attack. A senior Hamas spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri, condemned the assassination as a cowardly act, vowing that Israel would not succeed in its goals. He declared that the struggle for the liberation of Jerusalem would intensify into an “open war,” with Hamas prepared to pay any price for this cause.
