International condemnation of Haniyeh's assassination,Russia considers it an "unacceptable political crime"

Condemnations continued for the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, today, Wednesday, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and Russia considered the operation an "unacceptable political crime."

"The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh is an absolutely unacceptable political murder that will lead to further escalation and tensions," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency RIA.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, "Haniyeh's martyrdom in Tehran will strengthen and deepen the close ties between Tehran, Palestine and the resistance, Haniyeh's blood will not be in vain."

Ankara also condemned the "murder of Haniyeh in a despicable operation" in the Iranian capital Tehran. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "Once again it is clear that the government (of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) has no intention of reaching peace."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry added: "This attack aims to expand the war in Gaza to a regional level." It continued: "If the international community does not move to stop Israel, our region will face much greater conflicts."

In turn, Qatar condemned "in the strongest terms the assassination of Haniyeh," describing it as "a heinous crime, a dangerous escalation, and a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law." It also considered that the incident and "Israel's targeting of civilians in Gaza will lead to the region sliding into violence and undermine the chances of peace."

For his part, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "strongly condemned the assassination of the great leader Ismail Haniyeh," and considered it "a cowardly act and a dangerous development," according to the official Palestinian news agency "Wafa." Abbas called on the masses of the Palestinian people and their forces to unite, be patient, and stand firm in the face of the Israeli occupation.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also "strongly condemned the assassination of the head of the political bureau of Hamas," saying, "We see in this act a serious danger of expanding the circle of global concern and danger in the region," according to the Lebanese News Agency.

While the Lebanese Hezbollah considered that "the martyrdom of the leader Ismail Haniyeh will increase the determination and stubbornness of the resistance fighters in all resistance arenas to continue the path of jihad," and said in a statement that "Haniyeh is one of the great resistance leaders who stood bravely in the face of the American hegemony project and the Zionist occupation."

In turn, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthi group in Yemen, commented on Haniyeh’s martyrdom, describing his targeting as “a heinous terrorist crime and a flagrant violation of laws and ideal values.”

Deputy Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, Muhammad al-Hindi, considered that "the assassination of leader Ismail Haniyeh will increase the resistance's steadfastness," stressing that "the response will be on the ground."

Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas announced that Haniyeh was killed in a "treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran, after he participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president." Iranian state television also reported that Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, explaining that "the investigation into the assassination is ongoing" and that the results will be announced soon.

In contrast, the Israeli occupation army refrained from making a statement regarding Haniyeh’s martyrdom, saying: “We do not comment on these reports,” an official in the army’s spokesman unit told Anadolu Agency, in response to a question about whether he “confirms that Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli attack in Tehran.”

Haniyeh's last appearance in Tehran was during the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday evening. This was preceded by talks he held with Pezeshkian on the same day regarding political and field developments related to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the movement.