JERUSALEM: Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, publicly acknowledged on Monday that Israel had carried out the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year. Katz’s remarks also included a warning that Israel would continue to target the leadership of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“We will strike hard at the Houthis… and decapitate their leadership — just as we did with Haniyeh, [Yahya] Sinwar, and [Hassan] Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon, we will do so in Hodeida and Sanaa,” Katz declared during an event at the Ministry of Defence.
This admission marks the first time an Israeli official has confirmed Israel’s involvement in the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran in late July. The Hamas leader was killed a day after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Katz added, “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have his hand cut off, and the long arm of the IDF (Israeli military) will strike him and hold him accountable,” as stated in the ministry’s release.
Although Israel had previously acknowledged operations targeting Yahya Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah, this is the first public admission of Israel’s role in Haniyeh’s death.
In October, tensions between Israel and Iran escalated when Iran launched a missile barrage aimed at Israeli targets. While Israel claimed to have intercepted most of the missiles, some did hit various regions. Iran said the attack was in retaliation for the killings of senior figures, including Haniyeh, by Israeli forces.
