Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in his home and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a strike in southern Lebanon

On July 31, 2024, Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in his home in Tehran after attending the inauguration ceremony of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The cause of Haniyeh's death is under investigation. Preliminary reports indicate that Ismail was killed in an airstrike.

Background
Ismail Haniyeh has been considered the leader of Hamas since 2017 and has been a member of the movement since 1980. The US State Department designated him a terrorist in 2018.

Assassination
The initial report on Ismail Haniyeh's assassination came from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which provided limited information about the circumstances of his death and said the incident was under investigation. Hamas said he was killed in an airstrike. An Iranian guard was also killed along with Haniyeh.

Reactions
Hamas believes Israel killed their leader. An IDF spokesman told CNN that they "do not respond to foreign media reports."

There has been no claim of responsibility for the killing.

***

IDF killed top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in a strike in southern Lebanon. This strike was a retaliation for a rocket attack on Golan Heights that killed 12 children. However, Hezabollah said that Shukr survived the Israeli strike. A spontaneous rally took place in Beirut, Lebanon, following the strike.