Tehran [Iran], December 24: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly admitted for the first time on December 23 that Tel Aviv was responsible for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July.
"These days, when the Houthis fire missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them: [We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have crippled Iran's defenses and destroyed its production systems, we have overthrown the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a serious blow to the axis of resistance, and we will also deal a serious blow to the Houthis in Yemen, which are the last remaining force," said Defense Minister Israel Katz.
According to Reuters, the move could further increase tensions between Iran and Israel in the region. Minister Katz added: "Israel will destroy the strategic infrastructure of the Houthis and eliminate the group's leaders in the same way Tel Aviv did with the leaders Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah in Tehran , Gaza and Lebanon."
For more than a year, the Houthis have regularly attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the maritime blockade against Israel.
In late July, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's representative in international relations and former political leader in the Gaza Strip, was assassinated in Tehran. Haniyeh had been in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkia. Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed in their bedroom. Iranian authorities blamed Israel for the attack, but Israel has not claimed responsibility.
Several months after the assassination, Israel announced on October 17 that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed by the Israeli military. Sinwar was considered the main architect of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The Israeli military said it had killed Sinwar in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip on October 16.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
