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THE ASSASSINATION of one of Hamas’ top leaders tells the world Israel can kill its terrorist enemies anywhere, a former general has said.
Retired Israeli brigadier Amir Avivi told The Sun that the strike which eliminated Ismail Haniyeh is evidence of Israel’s formidable capacity and unwavering desire to defeat its foes.
Ismail Haniyeh (L), political leader of Hamas, next to Yahya Sinwar (C), leader in Gaza
Leader of Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah (R) posing for a picture with Ismail Haniyeh following their meeting at an undisclosed location in 2022
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) troops in the Gaza Strip
Ismail Haniyeh, political boss of Hamas, killed on Monday
He said: “Israel won’t stop until every single leader that was involved in this massacre will pay for what they did.
“Obviously, it sends a message that Israel can get to any terror leader anywhere.
“Even if it takes a bit of time, eventually, we’ll be able to target them.”
Haniyeh and just one bodyguard were killed in a suspected Israeli precision missile strike as they slept in a military veterans’ building in Tehran on Monday.
Israel’s Mossad assassins could easily have taken Haniyeh out as he led ceasefire talks in Qatar but appeared to watch and wait until he set foot on the territory of arch enemy Iran before taking him out.
Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence arm somehow discovered exactly which room he was staying in within scores in the block.
A guided missile was then fired through the window of his room and detonated inside at around 2am, killing him and his aide instantly.
Haniyeh’s was one of Israel’s top targets since war broke out in October, with Netanyahu vowing to take out all of Hamas.
The terror group’s leader in the Strip, Yahyah Sinwar, or “Gaza’s Bin Laden”, will be another key target.
As will Mohammed Deif, one of Sinwar’s chief lackeys who helped orchestrate the horrific October 7 massacre.
Amir told The Sun: “It’s not the first time that we see Israel operating at the heart of the Iranian regime.”
In April, Iran launched hundreds of missiles towards Israel in a dangerous escalation of tensions in the region.
But Israeli defences destroyed almost all of the rockets and unleashed its own hyper precise strike which hit an airbase near Isfahan, in central Iran.
In the same month a suspected Israeli attack on an embassy in Damascus, Syria, took out several high-ranking IRGC officers.
Less than 24 hours before Haniyeh was killed on Monday, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, was killed in another “targeted” strike.
Their strike hit the south of Beirut, capital of Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group is based.
Amir said: “We saw yesterday the precise strike on the chief of staff of Hezbollah.
“He was the chief of staff. He is one of the founders of Hezbollah, probably the most prominent military figure in the organisation.
“He conducted all the operations. He’s the really closest advisor of [Hassan Nasrallah].”
The former General added: “The ability to really know exactly where he is in the heart of Beirut… shows really what intelligence Israel enjoys and operational capabilities to carry out such a targeted strike”.
Fears of an all-out war breaking out in the Middle East are rising following the Israeli strikes, as Iran vows to seek revenge over the hit on its capital.
Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it is “Tehran’s duty” to seek “revenge for Ismail Haniyeh’s blood”.
Hamas also swore to seek “dire consequences” for the strike that killed its political leader, responsible for conducting its negotiations outside of the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah, another Iran-backed ally in the “axis of resistance”, promised to stir up anti-Israel sentiment amongst its allies.
And the Houthis, based in Yemen, said it marks a “major escalation” in the Middle East.
Analysts previously told The Sun that Iran’s network of bloodthirsty proxy groups across the region are “primed and ready” to spark a second front in the ongoing conflict.
And tensions in the region are already swirling after almost ten months of brutal and bloody war in the Gaza Strip.
Some 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the months since the October 7 massacre which saw Hamas kill 1,200 people in Israel.
Out of 250 Israelis taken hostage, many are still in Gaza and around a third are presumed dead.
Experts have previously warned The Sun about war breaking out in Lebanon as Israel takes on Hezbollah.
Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) have been gearing up for a possible invasion by the group – and preparing to defend against one – for years.
The militant cult is thought to have 30,000 to 50,000 fighters and between 120,000 and 200,000 missiles, rockets, attack and reconnaissance drones.
They have been exchanging tit-for-tat strikes with Israel across the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel for months.
Amir told The Sun: “Realistically speaking, Israel has only has only one choice in Lebanon, and this is a full-scale attack.
“I don’t see any resolution. I don’t see Hezbollah withdrawing willingly.”
He warned of the boiling tensions in the region: “We need to contain it in the Middle East and not let it spread around.
“We need to push Hezbollah out of South Lebanon, and we need to hit very hard all their capabilities all around Lebanon. Israel can do it.
“The readiness of the Northern command is very, very high. They are ready any moment to strike.”
Israel also took out Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, on MondayWho was Ismail Haniyeh?
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
Haniyeh, one of the founding members of the terror group, unflinchingly represented the bloodthirsty clan for decades, even past the death of his own children.
The 62-year-old was responsible for running Hamas’ political operations from Doha, Qatar’s capital.
Born in a refugee camp in northern Gaza, he lead the group through several wars with Israel and served as a fundamental power player for the cult.
Over the last ten months he had been responsible for conducting ceasefire talks, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US.
He survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 2003, before the IDF took out his mentor – the founder of Hamas itself Sheik Ahmed Yassin – in 2004.
Standing outside a hospital in Gaza at the time, the man who would become one of Hamas’ principal leaders urged people not to cry but to focus on revenge instead.
By 2006 he was working as the leader of Hamas in Gaza, a position now held by Israel’s number one enemy – Yahya Sinwar.
He moved to Qatar in 2017 when he was named as the group’s new political leader.
The group was trying to change its image at the time as it made bids across the international stage for more influence.
Haniyeh represented the Iran-backed terror proxy in Qatar, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran and Egypt.
His ruthless approach to furthering the Hamas agenda would overrule even the assassination of his own children and grandchildren years later.
In April this year an Israeli airstrike killed three of Haniyeh’s sons and four of his grandchildren.
In June, Hamas claimed his sister and her family were also killed by an Israeli strike.
Haniyeh simply said at the time: “We shall not give in, no matter the sacrifices.”
He added that he had lost dozens of family members over years of war between Hamas and Israel.
The terror boss was given news of his children’s deaths while on a hospital visit. After hearing the news, he continued to tour the building as normal.
Haniyeh spent time inside Israeli prisons in the 1980s and 1990s.
By 1988 he was among the founding members of Hamas, working under Yassin.
His assassination serves as a fundamental blow to Hamas – with leaders dubbing it a “treacherous Zionist raid” on Wednesday morning.
Hezbollah fighters training in the Lebanese village of Aaramta
The Israeli strike in Beirut which took out a Hezbollah commander
English (US) 