Israeli Defence Minister admits killing Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran

Jerusalem, Dec 24 (IANS) Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has admitted for the first time that the country assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital Tehran.

Speaking at a Defence Ministry event, Katz also issued a warning to Houthi forces in Yemen after they launched another drone attack earlier on Monday, which the Israeli military said was intercepted by its air defence systems.

"We will strike the Houthis hard, target their strategic infrastructure, and decapitate their leaders -- just as we did to Haniyeh, Sinwar, and Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon," Katz said.

Haniyeh was killed on July 31 in Tehran in a strike. Both Hamas and Iran accused Israel of carrying out the assassination, Xinhua news agency reported.

Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed when their residence was struck in Tehran, according to a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet, Sepah News. The statement mentioned that the attack was under investigation, and the results would be announced later.

In a report published on July 31, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency stated that Haniyeh was assassinated around 2:00 a.m. on July 31 local time after his residence in Tehran was hit by a 'projectile.' The Islamic Hamas movement confirmed the death of its leader, stating that Haniyeh was assassinated in an Israeli attack in Iran.

In a press statement, Hamas expressed its grief, saying that it "mourns to the Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nation, and the free people of the world" following the death of Haniyeh, who had been in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 30. Haniyeh was also expected to discuss with the Iranian president the political and field developments related to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military has previously claimed responsibility for killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in southern Gaza and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahieh.