The killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut show Israel is demonstrating the reach of its networks, foreign policy analyst Walid Phares said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
"What is very important to understand is Israel is demonstrating that its networks as far as Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and even in Yemen are very advanced, very sophisticated," Phares, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, told "National Report."
Israel coordinates between special forces or units, including commandos who are already deployed in those countries, he added.
The fact that there are special targeting weapons that can take out an enemy as far away as Iran sends a "strategic message to the Iranian leadership, to the Islamic Republic leadership, by the way, and also to Hezbollah," said Phares.
He added that the regime in Tehran "and all those five militias are trying to put pressure on Israel to accept a cease-fire," but "Israel is not accepting the diktat of the regime."
Retired U.S. Army Col. Bill Connor, also on Wednesday's program, insisted that Isreal "did exactly what it needed to do," in the deaths of Haniyeh and Shukur.
"This message that was sent was that they're not safe anywhere," Connor said. "They're not safe in Iran. They're not safe anywhere."
Haniyeh's death was a "stick in the eye of Iran," which had been hosting him, he added.
"They killed not only him but also an Iranian bodyguard," Connor said. "The other hit was in Lebanon [against] one of the leaders who was part of the attack against the Americans in 1983, so excellent attack by Israel."
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