US denies involvement in killing of Hamas leader

Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in a missile strike on his residence in Iran on Wednesday

Washington was “not aware of or involved in” the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, the US secretary of state has told the news network CNA.

Antony Blinken gave an exclusive interview to the Singapore-based outlet on Wednesday during his official visit to the country.

When asked if Haniyeh’s killing could change the course of the war in Gaza, Blinken warned against speculation and stressed that negotiating a ceasefire is “imperative”.

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Hamas chief assassinated in Iran

Haniyeh was killed at his residence in Iran's capital Tehran earlier in the day. The Palestinian movement has blamed Israel for the attack, but the Jewish state has yet to comment.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying it holds the US government responsible for the assassination, which it described as a “heinous act of terrorism,” calling Washington a “supporter and accomplice of the Zionist regime” in the “occupation and genocide of Palestinians.”

Israel has been the largest recipient of US economic and military aid since its founding in 1948.

While refusing to confirm or deny the assassination, Israel had previously vowed to eliminate the leaders of Hamas.

READ MORE: Iran’s supreme leader vows ‘revenge’

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged to destroy the group in retaliation for its deadly incursion into Israel on October 7 last year, which triggered the war in Gaza.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave in almost nine months of fighting between Hamas and Israel, according to local health authorities. The raid left over 1,110 Israelis dead and over 200 taken hostage.