In a very major statement, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, publicly confirmed for the first time that Israel was behind the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Speaking at an event honoring personnel from the Defence Ministry, Katz warned that the Yemen-based Houthi group would also face a “severe blow.”
Katz underlined that Israel had hit “severe blow to the axis of evil,” adding intentions to hit the Houthi organization, which he named “the last standing adversary”: “When the Houthi terrorist organization is shooting missiles at Israel, let me deliver a message to everyone: We have beaten Hamas, we have beaten Hezbollah, and we have shattered the defenses of Iran.”.
The Israeli Defense Minister further announced that Israel would work toward “damaging Houthi strategic infrastructure” and taking out its leaders, as was done recently with top figures from Hamas and Hezbollah. He listed the places of probable strikes: Hodeidah and Sanaa in Yemen.
The Houthis have in recent times scaled up their missile attacks on Israel, including the strike on Tel Aviv with what they termed a hypersonic ballistic missile. The attack brought in minor injuries as the missile struck a public park in Jaffa, evading Israeli defense systems.
Haniyeh had been killed on July 31 during a visit to Tehran for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The residence he was staying in was reportedly hit by an “airborne guided projectile,” killing him and his bodyguard.
While Iranian and Palestinian officials blamed Israel for the killing, Israeli authorities, until today, had remained mum about it. The assassination of Haniyeh was greeted with anger across the Palestinian territories amid fears of renewed regional escalation. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pledged “harsh punishment” in retaliation for the killing.
In October, Iran struck back with missile attacks against the Israeli cities, claiming that the attacks were in response to the killing of its allied leaders. The Israeli military said only minor effects of the attacks were felt, while rescue services said two people were injured by falling debris in Tel Aviv. There were no reports of fatalities in Israel, although one fatality was reported by Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank from falling debris.
