Israel admitted Monday for the first time publicly that it was behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July, further risking tensions between Tehran and the Jewish state.
"These days, when the Houthi terrorist organization is firing missiles at Israel, I want to convey a clear message to them at the beginning of my remarks: We have defeated Hamas, we have defeated Hezbollah, we have blinded Iran's defense systems and damaged the production systems, we have toppled the Assad regime in Syria, we have dealt a severe blow to the axis of evil, and we will also deal a severe blow to the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen, which remains the last to stand," Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Israel will "damage their strategic infrastructure, and we will behead their leaders – just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza and Lebanon – we will do it in Hodeida and Sana'a," Katz said during an event honoring Defense Ministry personnel.
Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year to try to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's military operation in Gaza.
In late July, Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in Tehran in an assassination blamed on Israel by Iranian authorities. There was no direct claim of responsibility by Israel at the time.
Haniyeh, who was living in Qatar, had been the face of Hamas' international diplomacy since the terror group's attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparked Israel's military operation in Gaza. He had been taking part in internationally brokered indirect talks on reaching a ceasefire to the conflict. He was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Months later, Israeli forces in Gaza killed Yahya Sinwar, Haniyeh's successor and the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack.
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