Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader, was killed in an airstrike overnight in Tehran. Both Iran and Hamas blamed the assassination on Israel, which declined to comment. The strike also came just hours after a rare Israeli airstrike in Beirut that it said killed a top Hezbollah commander. (AP)
Our Take
For Hamas, Haniyeh’s death is a big loss. He was not only an effective voice for the group abroad but also one of its more politically pragmatic leaders who worked to build Hamas’ regional support architecture. Haniyeh is not irreplaceable, but he did have a deep network of personal relationships forged over years in his role. Those will now have to be painstakingly cultivated by whoever succeeds him, at a delicate time for the group.
Haniyeh’s death will also likely strengthen the Gaza-based political and military leadership in internal struggles for influence, giving Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif more sway in dictating the pace and direction of cease-fire negotiations with Israel as well as in charting the group’s strategic path after the war ends.