On the verge of a major war: Israel has challenged Iran with the assassination of the Hamas leader

The assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh "will not go in vain," said Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement. "The assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh was a despicable act and will not be in vain," said Marzuk, whose words were quoted by Al Jazeera TV channel on July 31.

CNN, in turn, recalls that Ismail Haniyeh was a key mediator in the development of agreements on the release of hostages and a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. He has been living in Qatar for the last few years.

The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh is "the first most significant Israeli operation since October 7," said CNN political analyst Barak Ravid.

The Israeli military said in an interview with an American television channel that they "do not respond to foreign media reports" after Iranian state media reported Haniyeh's death in Tehran, where he arrived last Tuesday to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President-elect Massoud Peseshkian.

According to Ravid, although Haniyeh did not have much influence on the militant wing of Hamas, he was responsible for the movement's international relations and was a "key interlocutor" for Egyptian and Qatari mediators in negotiations to reach agreements on the release of hostages and a cease-fire in Gaza.

"His murder will have a significant impact on these negotiations," he stated.

According to Ravid, the authorities of the Jewish state consider Haniyeh to be one of those responsible for the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Earlier, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the movement was "ready to pay a different price" after its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran.

"We are waging an open war for the liberation of Jerusalem and are ready to pay various prices," he stressed.

It is obvious that the elimination of the Hamas leader in Tehran has become the most serious Israeli challenge to Iran. In recent days, Israel and Iran have been teetering on the brink of a direct armed conflict after a rocket attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, which killed 12 people, and the response of the Jewish state in the form of air strikes on targets of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.