Israel informed US it killed Hamas chief – WaPo

The White House responded with “surprise and outrage” to the news of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, sources have told the paper

Israel informed the US that it was responsible for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh immediately after the attack took place, sources have told the Washington Post.

Haniyeh, who was the Palestinian armed group’s chief negotiator in indirect ceasefire talks with the Israeli delegation, was assassinated in Tehran last week, hours after attending the inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The incident has further increased tensions in the region as Iran has promised to inflict a “harsh punishment” on Israel.

White House officials “responded with surprise and outrage” when they learned of the Hamas chief’s killing, people close to the administration of US President Joe Biden told the Washington Post on Tuesday.

According to the sources, Washington believes that the move by the Israeli authorities is a “setback” in US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, where fighting continues since the incursion into Israel by Hamas on October 7.

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Publicly, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that Washington was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination, despite Israel being its closest ally in the Middle East.

Behind the scenes, there is “growing friction” between the US and Israel after the incident, the sources told the Post. An Israeli official reportedly described the phone call between Biden and Netanyahu that took place shortly after Haniyeh’s assassination as “tense.” 

Several administration officials have also told the outlet that many in the White House now see Netanyahu, not Iran, as “the chief wild card in containing a broader regional conflagration.” 

The killing of Haniyeh took place a day after Israel confirmed that it had “eliminated” senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Prior to that, the Jewish state attacked Yemen’s Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, killing at least 14 people and wounding almost 100.

However, there are currently no signs that Biden is willing to put any significant pressure on Israel to contain its actions, the Washington Post reported, citing sources.

READ MORE: Houthis ready to act against Israel – media

Instead, the US deployed additional military assets, including a squadron of F-22 jets and naval destroyers, to the region to help Israel fend off a possible Iranian retaliation. According to Axios, Blinken told G7 foreign ministers on Sunday that a missile strike by Tehran could take place within the next 24 to 48 hours.